


Sagittarius

by PenguinKiwis



Series: Sagittarius [1]
Category: Fate/Apocrypha, Fate/Grand Order, Fate/stay night & Related Fandoms, ロード・エルメロイⅡ世の事件簿 - 三田誠 | Lord El-Melloi II Case Files - Sanda Makoto, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Astolfo is a trap and confuses Shigaraki, BAMF Yagi Toshinori | All Might, Canon-Typical Violence, Character Death, Chiron does what he wants, Chiron wonders if Jason or Mineta would die first, Chiron | Archer of Black is a Dork, Endeavor isn't as bad as he is in canon because now he has to deal with Chiron too, Gray is a baby, Holy Grail, Holy Grail War (Fate), Mild Language, Mineta Minoru Bashing, Minor Character Death, Nonbinary Character, Nonbinary Thirteen (My Hero Academia), Not Beta Read, Parental Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead, Parental Chiron | Archer of Black, Parental Yagi Toshinori | All Might, Sensei | All For One Being an Asshole, Shigaraki hates Astolfo, Traps, Yamada Hizashi | Present Mic is a Dork, but it's like minor and he's only there for where he's relevant which is almost never, fuck mineta, his money is on mineta, i sorta threw some things out the window because fate is unnecessarily complicated, mentions of Achilles, mentions of Karna, mentions of King Hassan, mentions of Miyamoto Musashi, mentions of Sieg, mentions of Siegfried, mentions of Tomoe Gozen, mentions of Ushiwakamaru, mentions of past Grail Wars, minor manga spoilers, noble phantasms, nothing big though, small cameos from other series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-02
Updated: 2020-03-25
Packaged: 2021-02-27 16:27:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 28
Words: 56,448
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22090093
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PenguinKiwis/pseuds/PenguinKiwis
Summary: Chiron was never killed by Achilles, Sieg and Astolfo weren't the only ones to enter the Greater Grail, and Amakusa and Sieg weren't the only ones whose wishes were granted. In an age of heroes and Quirks, the remnants of a time long past still remain and Midoirya ends up with a centaur as a teacher.Crossposted on FF.N under xPenguinLordx
Relationships: but they're like brothers so no real romance, chiron | Archer of Back & Astolfo, only canon romance
Series: Sagittarius [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1590025
Comments: 52
Kudos: 68





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hey look, Im not dead. Ehehe. So this is an idea that's been sitting in my head for a bit and here it is. I have another Fate x Boku no Hero idea lined up for after this but basically, I don't plan on writing any full arcs after the Raid and AfO battle for this. I might do the Chisaki Kai arc but that's a big might
> 
> There's a lot of exposition in some chapters and right now the chapters are one to four pages, but there are some potentially longer ones. I have the first five written and ready to go then I work off of any comments if there are any, if not then I'll just keep writing with what outlines I have

No one was exactly sure where Quirks stemmed from. Theories stretched from rats to nuclear radiation to even a divine sort of intervention. People were adamant that they didn't stem from Mages, that was for sure. No matter where he was, though, he would always be amazed by the diversity of Quirks. No matter what timeframe he was in either.

He was grateful for Quirks, actually. It allowed him to keep his identity a secret, not that he was really concerned about it. Being near-immortal had its advantages, but he still found himself on edge from time to time when faced with a truest malicious person.

For example, the appearance of the villain All for One decades ago was certainly enough to send anyone, immortal or otherwise, on edge. The last appearance of the man was in Japan and seeing how there was still a sharp sense of wrongness in the back of his mind, the villain wasn't gone.

In a world of heroes and a variety of Quirks, though, he couldn't say he was surprised.

The public was none the wiser about that man's existence, though. And the only reason he knew about it was because he pulled strings with the Greek government.

Chiron materialized in a back alleyway, adjusting his tie and smoothing his coat out as he shifted his bag onto his shoulder with his other hand. He had chosen to forgo the horse half, for the time being, keeping his tail hidden as well. It would do him no good to stand out too much before he got into contact with a friend for a job.

This wasn't the first time he had been to Japan, but it certainly wasn't going to be the shortest stay. He recalled the words of the Greater Grail clearly.

A great evil was going to descend upon the human race, one that needed to be restrained or killed. In exchange for his wish of immortality, it would be his duty to carry out that order. That's what the Greater Grail had told him one hundred and seventy years ago, at least.

He was certain that All for One was that evil. He recalled the highly classified records that detailed the fight that the Greek embassy had gotten a hold of. All for One had fought the number one hero of Japan, All Might, and was supposedly gone. That would have been wonderful if it was true, Chiron had thought at the time.

"Too bad it's not," He hummed, stepping out and easily slipping into the crowd of people on the sidewalk. A few citizens gave him a second glance but disregarded him quite quickly.

His feet carried him through the city, eyes gazing around as he turned down a side street. Three middle school boys were walking down the opposite direction, though they paid him no mind as he covered his nose with a hand, rolling his eyes internally at the fact that two of the boys were smoking. Honestly, children these days.

Shaking his head, the archer moved onwards through the city. He had to get a good layout of the area before he started doing anything. Then he would probably go and apply to work with a hero agency of some sort. One with a wide range of territory to cover.

The Greek Hero Embassy was kind enough to grant him an international hero license— anything for a legend of myth, they said. They didn't really need him in the nation, as Greece had their own fair share of heroes who claimed to be demigods in their own ways, so having an immortal legend traveling the world doing who knows what for the rest of mankind was something the embassy could get behind.

Or that's what they had told him.

The centaur sighed as he recalled that time, shaking his head. It wouldn't do him any good to reminisce for no reason, after all.

An explosion not too far away made him pull away from his thoughts and look up. He turned, seeing smoke rising from the street he had been on moments before.

"Ah-" he startled before he turned, running in that direction as he loosened his tie slightly. "Those three children are there still!"

He grit his teeth. If heroes showed up, and he knew they would, it would be risky to arrive in plainclothes to assist. Still…

In a flash of gold, Chiron's hooves hit the pavement and his suit melted into a white tunic. He took off down the pavement, skidding to a halt as he arrived at the street, covering his face as a blast of wind came from the center of it. His ears popped as well before the gust calmed.

He blinked as raindrops hit his skin before his eyes landed on the hulking figure in the middle of the crowd.

All Might, the number one hero.

His eyes narrowed. Something about that man was off. He hadn't noticed it from the reports and programs he had watched, but there was definitely something wrong.

A cheer rose up from the crowd as he sighed, pressing his hand to his chest before he moved forward, politely making his way through the crowd.

"What were you thinking, boy!"

He stopped at the edge, watching as one of the local heroes reprimanded a green-haired boy, who was looking down at the ground.

"You really didn't need to expose yourself to such danger!" the hero continued. "You could have been inju-"

"Enough," Chiron cut in, placing a hand on the taller hero's shoulder. "These two boys were part of that attack, correct? Then they need medical attention, not a lecture."

"Wh-who are you?" the hero asked as the centaur knelt by the green-haired boy. Chiron didn't respond for a moment, eyes glancing over the boy. He pressed a hand to his chest, focusing before he frowned.

"I'm an international hero hailing from Greece, I was over here on a business," he said, "The boy has lung damage. A result of suffocation. If he has it, then the other boy most likely does as well. The two boys need rest, not an arrogance boost or a lecture."

He stood, helping the green-haired youth to his feet. "Go straight home," he told him, patting his head. He turned to the other heroes. "Check all the other citizens who were in the middle of the fight as well, if any of them inhaled too much smoke it would cause them lung issues as well."

"R-right!" the fire-fighter like hero said before he and the others started checking on the other citizens. The centaur sighed, running a hand through his hair before he glanced at All Might, who was staring at him.

"If you're asking my name, it's Archer. I'd personally like a word with you," he said, "Probably out of prying eyes, if I'm making my guesses right."

The blonde's eyes sparked in the hero's shadowed face. He nodded. "Of course," he agreed before a flash of light made them both break gaze.

"Oh, reporters," Chiron noted before he sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "Well, I'll let you deal with those people. WildKat Cafe, noon tomorrow."

And with those words and a subtle nod from the blonde hero, Chiron turned and took off from the scene, ignoring reporters and police as he leaped over the crowd again.

"Now to find a place to rest for the night…" he murmured as he galloped down the street.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are some serious changes to Fate canon to make is plot-relevant, and also to the BNHA canon obviously. First of all, it's suspect that BNHA takes place sometime in the future rather than in present-day (as seen with the technology that is available). I saw a post on Reddit and another on Quora (since there's no concrete answer from Horikoshi-sensei) somewhere that stated that the timeframe is anywhere between 2100-2300. Chiron will refer to things in the past as being "over a hundred years ago", since I have no concrete timeline. 
> 
> As for fate, Chiron is sorta a counterforce but doesn't have that whole emotionless thing that Emiya and Shiki had. Since he wasn't summoned as a counterforce and Gaia and Ayala didn't turn him into one, he's just a (now) immortal man just listening to the will of the Greater Gail. In this canon, the Apocrypha War ended a bit differently: Achilles and Chiron didn't fight to the death, though they did fight. Achilles did fight Atalanta in canon, but Chiron joined Sieg and Astolfo in stopping Amakusa in the hanging gardens. All three entered the Greater Grail and before Sieg took the Grail to the Reverse side of the world, the Grail offered Chiron his wish. In exchange for immortality, though, Chiron would take care of major evils ( *cough* AfO *cough* ) that humanity couldn't deal with itself. There's also a bunch of other things the Grail gives him but that's a later explanation.
> 
> Creative canon and all that jazz
> 
> Now, questions I can answer right away:
> 
> Q: Will there be other servants?  
> A: Yes. Astolfo, obviously, is involved but one more servant will be joining them and a number will be mentioned.
> 
> Q: Grail Wars?  
> A: Mentioned, but Chiron will not be actively partaking in any of them— just getting updates by the church
> 
> Q: How are the governments and mages taking this?  
> A: Some are probably salty. Greece's government is hyped up because that's one of the coolest legends just out and about now. Mages are wary but respect him.
> 
> I think that covers everything. Feel free to ask anything in the comments/reviews and stuff


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here's the second chapter. This has a good chunk of exposition, but not as much as some later will.
> 
> just a note though, Chiron's teaching outfit is based off of the craft essence "Mentor and I" from Fate/Grand Order. It's wholesome.

"I'm glad you could make time in your schedule to meet me," Chiron said as he glanced up from reading a newspaper, adjusting his glasses. The large hero, wearing sunglasses and a baseball hat, nodded as sat down in front of him— the chair comically small for him.

"I hope you don't mind, but I ordered something for you to drink while we talk," the centaur said with a smile.

"Ah, my thanks," All Might said, his grin never leaving his face. "If I may ask, what of your horse body? Certainly, you can't sit normally in a cafe booth."

Chiron laughed. "You're right, though horses do sit like dogs tend to. Nonetheless, you're right. It's an… Ability of mine. Part of my Quirk, one could say."

"Oh?" The hero blinked from behind his sunglasses. "So you're a mutation type of sorts?"

"Mm, you could say that, but not exactly," he told him with a smile, folding the paper and setting it down as the barista walked over. The black-haired man set down a cup of tea for each of them before walking off.

"This tea should agree with your stomach," He said, already taking a sip of his own. "Mister H and his father have been making medicinal teas and teas for those with certain health needs for a while."

"Oh, so you know the owner?" All Might asked, Chiron ignoring how pale the hero got when he mentioned his stomach.

"I do," He told him, setting his cup down. "Though I admit, the last time I was here was about fifteen years ago."

All Might did a spit take, coughing and sputtering. "Fifteen years?" he asked as Chiron wiped his face with a hum.

"Is that so surprising?" he asked with a smile before laughing at the sputtered attempts the hero made to explain himself. "I'm joking, Mister Hero," he told him, "You're right, fifteen years ago I would have been in my late teens and as you can tell, I'm not from Japan at all. I would have been in my birth nation, finishing up schooling… if I was a normal man."

He sat up straighter, looking past All Might. "Mister H, can you please give us privacy for a moment?"

"You got it, hooves," the barista said, moving from behind the counter and walking to the front door. He flipped the open sign and pulled the blinds, walking back to the counter before vanishing into the kitchen.

Chiron waited until the black-haired man vanished before he turned to All Might. "You don't need to waste energy in that form anymore," he told All Might, who flinched, smile straining.

"Whatever do you mean?" he asked, sweat dripping down his brow.

Chiron leaned forwards, fingers lacing together. "Mister All Might, I'm going to tell you a story, I hope that in the meantime you make yourself comfortable."

He reached up, taking his glasses off and folding them before setting them aside.

"Once, a long time ago there was a woman who was one of the Oceanids of Greece," he began, "The daughter of Oceanus and Tethys. She was a beautiful woman, so beautiful that Kronos, the Titan of Time and father of many of the gods, chased her. He chased her down and raped her in the form of a stallion, resulting in their child being half human and half equine. When she saw what her child was, she was disgusted and abandoned him. She implored the gods to transform her into anything other than anthropomorphic as she could not bear the shame of having such a monstrous child. The gods granted her wish and transformed her into a linden tree. Effectively orphaned, this child was later found by the god Apollo, who decided to take him in as his son. Apollo taught to him the art of music, lyre, archery, medicine, and prophecy. Apollo's twin sister, Artemis, later approved of his decision and taught him more about archery and hunting." The brown-haired hero stopped, making sure that the large man was listening before he continued.

"A great healer, astrologer, and respected oracle, this child, now a man, was said to be the first among his kind and highly revered as a teacher and tutor. Among his pupils were many other heroes. Those by the names of Asclepius, Achilles, Jason, Perseus, and Heracles. But not all was well in the end. The man was pierced with an arrow belonging to Heracles that had been treated with the venom of the Hydra. The hero Hercules had been visiting the man's home on Pelion while the child Achilles is there. While he was examining Hercules' weapons, one of the arrows dipped in Lernaean hydra venom fell on to the man's left foot and poisoned him. Ironically, the man, the master of the healing arts, could not heal himself and after nine days with a weeping Achilles looking on, he passed into the stars," he finished, leaning back with his hands folded on the table. "And that is the last of the legend of Chiron."

There was silence before All Might spoke, the large man having taken his sunglasses and hat off. "Quite the old tale, isn't it?" he asked and Chiron laughed.

"Indeed," he agreed, "From before the Judaic Lord's son's death, in fact, well over two thousand years old." His gaze hardened. "What if I told you it wasn't a tale, Mister All Might? What then? Or if I told you that the man called Chiron is alive now?"

The blonde hero tilted his head. "I can't say I'd believe you. Myths and stories like such aren't real, and no man could live that long."

'And there he's taken the bait.'

"Not even All for One?" he asked and the entire atmosphere of the shop changed. The large hero's hands gripped the table, the old wood cracking under the pressure as Chiron leaned forwards again.

"How do you know that name?" All Might growled and the centaur just smiled.

"I am old, Mister All Might. Aside from the years I lived before I died, I have lived at least a hundred more," he told him before he held his hand out. "Allow me to properly introduce myself. I am Chiron, son of Philyra and Kronos, half brother of Zeus."

The blonde held his gaze before sighing, a large cloud of steam engulfing the two and when it cleared the true form of All Might sat there. He grasped the outstretched hand.

"Yagi, Toshinori. I am All Might, you already guessed my secret," He said, eyes wary. "Suppose I believe your story, Chiron. What then? You'd have been dead since you gave your immortality up."

"Indeed," He said as he dropped his hand. "I would be if there hadn't been an external factor. Tell me, what do you know of the Mages?"

All Might, or Yagi, rather, only frowned. "Heroes are granted minimal information on them, while it's more than the common man, heroes and Mages tend to not get along because of the more occult actions they take. We know enough to confidently say that Magecraft and Quirks aren't the same, though, and there are laws set that mages can't be heroes..." he trailed off, tapping his fingers on the cracked table. "But from what I hear, as of late, the mages have gone quiet. The church overseers have silenced."

"The mages are reclusive," he agreed, "But many mages and their abilities are written off as quirks to those who don't look closer. Even with the Greater Grail taken to the Reverse side of the world after the war in 2004, smaller wars still exist. The government and hero embassy know better to get in the way of the mages and if there's a problem in the mage society, the mages will deal with it. That's just how it is now." Chiron shook his head, sighing a bit.

"I was part of the Grail War in 2004, over a hundred years ago. I won't go into the details, as it would take too long, but I made a deal with the Greater Grail. In exchange for the immortality that I had lost, I would act as an arbiter for a 'greater evil' that would arise in the future. I believe that this 'Greater Evil' has something to do with the villain All for One."

Yagi swallowed, eyes narrowing as Chiron continued. "You can feel it too, can't you, Mister Yagi? He's not entirely gone."

There was silence before Yagi sighed. "I had feared so… what do you plan on doing? That villain is a right monster, you know. If he's the Greater Evil you talked about, won't that be even harder?"

"Well, the hard part is making him come back out, after all," He said with a hum, "That's why I want to work with you. I know that you'll inevitably fight him again if he reappears in your lifetime."

Yagi sighed again, leaning back before he ran a hand through his hair. "This upcoming school year, I'm going to be a teacher at the hero high school, U.A. High. Somehow, you remind me of my old teacher and I'm inclined to trust you… I'll talk to the principal of the school. You said you're a doctor too, right? All the better. If we're going to be working together when the time comes, I'd like it if you could also watch out for the person I've chosen as my successor. If I end up kicking the bucket before he appears again, he'll need guidance."

Chiron smiled. "U.A. High? A coincidence then, I was planning on sending an application over to Principal Nezu."

"Then I'll make sure you get in," the blonde chuckled before Mister H stuck his head out.

"Uh, I hate to intrude, but I gotta reopen, you two done?" he asked, startling the skeletal symbol of peace. Chiron nodded.

"Apologies, Mister H," he said, "Go ahead."

"Was he listening the entire time?" Yagi hissed, mortified but Chiron only shrugged.

"Most likely he wasn't, but it's not like Mister H would tell anyone, he's kept my secret for years after all."

"Is he also a legend from myth?"

"Who knows, he could be. This world of full of strange people."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Toshinori's pretty relaxed about this, no? Honestly, he's seen weirder shit, so he's only a bit surprised. Unlike others. Nezu had no surprises, he connected the dots real fast, though.
> 
> Bonus small cameo of Hanekoma Sanae from The World Ends With You


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nezu's pretty cool

The great thing about being immortal was that one ended up knowing people.

Already because of his affiliation as a servant from the Romanian Grail War, he had Romania's and Greece's hero embassies and governments contacting him if anything started indicating All for One movement in those areas. Britain's Mage association was also in contact with him, but he preferred not to have long conversations with them. Even if Caules' descendants and the descendants of his friends were there.

Not to mention that Wizard Marshall who was still alive.

No, Chiron preferred to keep his distance from all of that, but it seemed as if he would soon have students under his guidance again.

Nezu had taken a glance at the application after listening to Yagi's story and instantly agreed.

It had nothing to do with the fact that he was a bit biased towards the centaur sage, the mouse-bear-dog principal had said when the two were talking on the phone.

Both of them knew that was absolutely shit.

Nezu and Chiron were both quite friendly (he'd go as far to say fond, but Nezu might disagree so Chiron refrained) with each other. There was a common kinship between them both as both were at least partially animal and had a tragic past and a love for teaching.

Chiron had met Nezu on his last visit to Japan, about fifteen years ago. He had shared a table at a bookstore coffee shop when the now principal was still just a history teacher at U.A. High. The second servant that had survived the Grail war was with him as well, but had only met Nezu at the end of the first meeting as he was off looking at comics.

Unsurprisingly, the hyper-intelligent being had pieced together and figured his story out within the first few days of their friendship. It only took him a few moments to guess the other servant's identity, too.

Once again smoothing his tie out and adjusting his bag over his shoulder, Chiron walked through the gates to the school's campus. While he was not to be teaching yet, a before-the-year-ended meeting for all staff and the two incoming staff members had been called.

A shift in the wind before the sound of someone landing next to him made the centaur in human form look up at the shadow that had fallen over him.

"Good morning, All Might," he greeted the other new arrival.

"Good Morning to you as well, Mister Philyra!" the blonde hero greeted with an exuberant laugh, raising a hand as well.

"I do hope that this meeting isn't too long," Chiron hummed as the two walked into the school building, both flashing the IDs that had been delivered to them. "I would like to look around the school grounds."

"Oho?" All Might asked, raising a brow. "I should give you a tour!"

"I'll think about it," he told him with a slight chuckle. "It makes me at least glad that the grounds seem extensive. It would be nice to stretch my legs during my off time."

"Ah, that's right! You're in a more human form right now!" the hero said, nodding. "I suppose that would get cramped after a while. This isn't the first staff meeting I've gone too so you should be okay!"

"That's assuring," he hummed as they entered a meeting room. Nezu was there already, along with two other hero teachers, who eyed him with wary and guarded looks.

He only smiled and bowed to the black-haired and white-haired men in return as he sat down.

It wasn't too long before the other teachers had filed in and despite Nezu introducing him and the subject he would be teaching (Basic anatomy and first aid, the principal had stated) and then proceeding with the meeting in a normal fashion, there was a heavy tension in the room. Chiron knew it was directed towards him, but there was little he could do about it.

As the meeting drew to a close however, Nezu turned to Chiron.

"As I'm sure you all are aware, we have a new staff member. Luckily for us, he is already privy to All Might's condition," the small principal started as the other teacher's eyes turned to him.

"Well that makes things easier," one of the few women on staff said. Midnight, the R18 Hero, if his memory served correctly.

Chiron nodded. "It was a bit of a shock at first, but I was preoccupied with assisting others," he told them, "I'm a trained doctor and I have a marksman's eye. I noticed that All Might was in pain pretty easily and asked him to meet up with me the following day."

"So what's your quirk anyways, dude?" The school's resident DJ, Present Mic, asked. The blonde was leaning his head on one hand, using the other to make gestures as he talked.

Chiron blinked before he hummed. "Well, my hero name, Archer of Black, should make it obvious that I have some proficiency with marksmanship. My Quirk is also known as Sagittarius, which should also be a dead give away as well." He smiled, tapping the side of his head by his eye. "In short, I'm a marksman, similar to our coworker Snipe."

The cowboy hero looked up when he heard his name, nodding a bit. Chiron continued as Aizawa gave him a skeptical look.

"If you want further details, I suggest you check out the stories of Jason, Heracles, Achilles, Asclepius, Castor, and Pollux," he added with a smile. Aizawa glared at him but looked away as Nezu chuckled and Yagi sighed, shaking his head.

Aside from the two of them, and Recovery Girl, no one else on staff had any information on him aside from the bare basics.

He was a hero from Greece that had decided to move to japan but was in need of a job. Nezu granted him a job and that was that.

Eventually he'd have to reveal himself to the staff, but he'd cross that bridge when he got there.

"Moving on," Nezu said, "Since this is the last meeting before the next round of entrance exams, I'd like to know who will be here or who would prefer to opt-out."

"I want my usual position, yo!" Mic said, shooting up and raising his hand.

And with the blonde's exclamation, the staff and teachers began vying for spots in the Hall of Judgement.


	4. Chapter 4

The Greek Embassy had come through yet again and Chiron found himself contently settled in a nice apartment for his stay in Japan. Conveniently, it was near the school, so it shouldn't be an issue to walk, or gallop, to the grounds in that case.

In the end, Chiron had told Nezu that he'd prefer to opt-out of judging. He didn't want to judge his students on how they acted on the exam when he first met them.

He also had told the principal that the second servant would be arriving in Japan for a few days. It would be best to meet them, instead of them getting in trouble for looking like a young teenager and riding around on a mythical beast looking for him.

Stepping out onto the roof of his apartment building, Chiron shielded his eyes from the sun as he gazed up at it. It wasn't long before a dark shape blotted the light out as it descended from the sky.

A cloud of dust and dirt was kicked up as a feathery creature landed, wings splayed out. A Hippogriff with the coloration of a bald eagle glared at him before vanishing as a pink-haired figure slid off of its back.

"Yosh! I'm here!" the person exclaimed, grinning and giving the archer a peace sign.

"So it seems," Chiron chuckled, patting the youth on the head. "Were your travels well, Astolfo?"

Indistinguishable to the normal man, Chiron knew better when it came to the pink-haired, androgynous Rider servant. Despite the fancy attire and the ribbons adorning the pink locks, Astolfo was a boy.

The only other servant from that time as well.

"Yep! Though I took some stops across the continent to eat good food," the Rider hummed, "So, did you find that 'Greater Evil' or whatever?"

Chiron shook his head. "Not exactly, I have a hunch on what it might be, but for now I have to wait until he shows himself."

Astolfo 'oh'd softly before he nodded. "I get it! So, what are you doing now, huh?"

"I'll be teaching soon at U.A. High," he told him, "The one who subdued my suspect is also teaching there."

Astolfo perked up. "A school? Why am I not surprised!" he laughed before he bounced on his feet. "Maybe I should finally go to Hero School? I'm gonna be leaving in a few days but should I come back and transfer in? I'll be back in about two weeks to bother you again anyways… Hmm..."

Chiron blinked. "Astolfo it's been nearly a hundred years and you still haven't gotten a license?" he asked and the boy just laughed.

"Well, I have one from France, but that's it. Most other countries don't bat an eye when I use my quirk, but Japan seems to be the only nation with strict restrictions on Quirks. I mean, America has their restrictions but it's like, weird. People don't care over there," he told him and Chiron sighed, shaking his head.

"You probably get questioned nonstop too, don't you?" he asked and Astolfo grinned.

"I always tell them to look up the twelve paladins when asked!"

The archer just chuckled at that, reaching over and patting his head. "As long as you don't get kidnapped or anything because of it," he told the rider, who laughed again.

"Enough talk, though, Chiron!" Astolfo huffed, "Feed me! I came all the way out here to see you, you know!"

Chiron smiled. Even after all these years, the Rider hadn't changed that much.

It was nice.

(x)

Class 1-A was certainly something. He had taken a look at their files before they had come back from whatever Aizawa had decided to do with them. He knew that the homeroom teacher wasn't overly fond of him still, but from what Mic said that was pretty normal.

In the end, he had chosen to simply give them a pretest to assess where each of the students stood, if they knew a good bit about basic anatomy, then there would be no need to review what they knew. If they didn't then he would start from the beginning.

"Good morning, class," he greeted, smiling as the last of the students filed into the room and sat down. "I'm Philyra-Sensei. It's a pleasure to meet all of you."

"Are you a hero too, sensei?" one of the students asked. Chiron glanced down at his roster, spotting the black-haired boy quickly. Sero Hanta.

He smiled, nodding. "Yes," he told them, "You probably wouldn't recognize me, though. I'm originally from Greece, but I came here to teach anyways. My Hero name is Archer of Black, though most call me Archer. If you wish, you can call me that if my last name is too hard to pronounce."

Another blonde near the front scoffed, leaning forward in his chair. "What's your quirk anyway, huh? You don't look like much. I mean, who wears a suit to a hero fight?"

He glanced to his roster before he sighed. Bakugo Katsuki. Apparently Aizawa had called him the 'wild child' during the judging of the exam. That, or Mic was covering for his own comment. Either way, Aizawa didn't refute it when Mic had told them at the staff night out after the final students were chosen for the hero course.

"A number of heroes actually quite like to look their best in suits when they fight, Fourth Kind and Gang Orca for example— but that's beside the point. My quirk, hm…" he hummed, smiling still before he placed an index finger to his lips. "I think there's enough in the hero name, though if you're still grasping for more information… well, all I can say is look into the myths of Achilles, Jason, Heracles, Asclepius, and Castor and Pollux. There's one common hero in all of them."

Bakugou scoffed again, scowling and looking out the window in frustration. The green-haired boy behind him seemed to be jotting what he had said down at a lightning speed, however.

Astolfo and he had agreed when Quirks first emerged that if anyone asked they would simply refer the asker to legends. On paper, Chiron's 'quirk' was named 'Heroic Legend: Sagittarius' or sometimes other, similar things depending on the country. Astolfo hadn't gone to a hero school and gotten a hero's license for Japan, but his quirk was known as something similar— 'Heroic Legend: Paladin'. Japan's quirk laws were unique to the rest of the world, though many followed their gun and other armed weapon laws when referring to quirks.

It was easier that way and Astolfo had learned that Switzerland, Israel, and the United States had the loosest laws— no matter how much America boasted about being the safest nation.

Chiron clapped his hands together, startling several of the students. "Enough questions, now! This class is on general health and physical aid. I will be teaching you every other week and you might see me working as a substitute for other teachers in the case that they aren't available. Now… let's start with a placement quiz!"

He laughed a bit at the student's shocked and panicked faces as he picked up a stack of papers. He walked to the front, handing them out before he walked back to the front podium.

"Make sure you answer every question the best you possibly can and leave anything you don't know blank," he told them, adjusting his glasses. "I need to know where you all stand in regards to the knowledge of the human body. Ah! And be warned, any overly inappropriate answers will be marked off, no matter how right you might be."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Astolfo's here!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The USJ begins...

There seemed to be more reporters every day. At first, Chiron had waved them off with a smile, but after the other day's breach in security, he was starting to grow agitated.

Breaking down the security gates and storming the grounds? What in the gods' names were those reporters thinking? Still, something was off about it. As if someone had instigated a declaration of war against the school.

He wasn't the only one who thought that either. Thirteen, Midnight, and not to mention Recovery Girl and Nezu had agreed with him. Especially with the gate disintegrated.

Since then, he had started hanging out on the roof of the main building when he wasn't teaching. From there he was able to keep a watch out from a high vantage point.

That's where Thirteen had found him just before noon, lightly tapping his shoulder to get his attention as the archer gazed out over the grounds.

"Eraserhead and I are teaching a rescue class," the space hero had said when Chiron turned to them with a tilt of the head. "I was hoping that you could join me in meeting Class 1-A down at USJ."

He thought for a moment before he nodded with a hum. "Some early, hands-on first-aid would do those children some good," he agreed. "I'm assuming this is a practical, then?"

"Yes," they told him, nodding again. "All Might was going to be there, but he's out of commission, used up too much of his power, so it'll be us three. Even then, I still would have invited you."

Chiron tilted his head with a smile. "I'm flattered. But it would have been four teachers if he was well, right? That sounds like a lot, but then again… All Might could accidentally cause more trouble with his punches…"

Thirteen laughed a bit at that. "You're right, he and Eraserhead are both great heroes, they're just not exactly rescue and support types."

Yeah, they could say that again.

(x)

The students hadn't been expecting him to meet them all inside when Thirteen and Aizawa led them into USJ. Chiron had to admit that their shock had been a bit amusing.

After all, not even the ever through Midoriya could scrounge up much information on his hero record aside from the barebones— where he was from, the fact that he had an international license, and what his hero name was. Certain students like Bakugou and Kaminari weren't overly confident in his combat ability, which was a shame.

The suit and glasses he normally wore probably didn't help much. The scholarly look that Astolfo had insisted on often threw people off, after all.

"Welcome," he greeted as Thirteen walked over to him before turning to the students.

"This pace is a training ground that I made with different types of accidents and disasters," the space hero said, stretching their arms out to their sides. "A shipwreck, a landslide, a fire, a windstorm, et cetera! The Unforeseen Simulation Joint! USJ for short!"

Chiron smiled as the students erupted into awed cheering, nodding to Aizawa when the man walked over.

"Hey, Thirteen, Archer," he drawled, glancing around. "Where's All Might? He should be here by now, right?"

Chiron sighed. "From what Nezu told Thirteen, he had been out heroing while coming over to the school," he told the dry-eye inflicted hero. "And even though I managed to heal and strengthen his body a bit, he ended up using all his time up."

Thirteen nodded again. "Yes. Now he's resting in the break room."

Aizawa sighed. "That one's as irrational as he is tall…" he uttered, shaking his head. Chiron chuckled at that.

"Well, shall we?" Chiron asked and Thirteen nodded, holding a hand up.

"Oh, but before we start," they said, raising their voice and addressing the students. "A thing or two… or three… or four, actually…"

Chiron hummed, smiling as he tuned Thirteen out, glancing over the students before he glanced at Aizawa.

The erasure hero had nicked his bow from where he had it set aside. "How many arrows can you use with this?" he asked lowly as Thirteen explained something to the students.

Chiron took it from him before he held his hand up. "Two or three if you want to be safe and normal," he told him. "But because of my Quirk, I just fire off how many I feel. Sagittarius gives me endless arrows, why not use them."

"So what I'm hearing is you can fire an entire rain of arrows?" Aizawa asked dryly and Chiron laughed.

"Something like that," he said and the black-haired man smirked a bit. Seems like the erasure hero was finally warming up to him a bit.

"That is all!" Thirteen's voice made the two both look over, seeing the space hero bow. "You have my gratitude for listening so intently and patiently!"

"That was awesome!" Uraraka cheered, though it was almost drowned out by Iida's clapping and exclamation of 'bravo'.

Aizawa leaned on one of the railings, clearing his throat. "All right, first thing's first…" he started before trailing off as Chiron stiffened, turning and staring down at the fountain in the center of USJ. A small break in space made of something that was like mist or shadow had appeared. It grew bigger by the second before Chiron moved, raising his bow. It distorted before two glowing eyes appeared and a pale hand grasped the edge of the break, opening it wider. A pale face with a hand on its face peered through before tons of villains streamed out of it.

"Archer-" Aizawa started but never got to finish as Chiron materialized three arrows between his fingers. He let them fly, taking down a few of the first emerging villains.

"Huddle together and don't move for now!" He ordered, "Aizawa, you're with me! Thirteen, protect the students!"

"Right!" Aizawa said, pulling his goggles on.

Kirishima peered down, swallowing. "Wh- what? What is that?" he asked, nervousness tinging his voice. "Has the training started already?"

"Stay back!" Aizawa barked, making the few students who had started to move forward in order to get a better look flinch back. Chiron reached up, taking his glasses up. As he did, a golden light spread across his body, the black and white suit and glasses vanishing and being replaced with his battle attire.

Some of the students gasped at the change in attire, but he ignored them, materializing more arrows in his hand.

"This isn't training," he told the students, "those are real villains."


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As usual, if you have anything you wanna tell me or want me to answer, go ahead and leave it in the comments

As the last of the villains marched out, the white-haired man at front scratched at his neck and a black creature with its brain exposed stood next to him.

"Eraserhead and Number Thirteen…. and an unknown variable," the black mist uttered, "According to the teachers' curriculum we procured yesterday Mr. All Might was supposed to be here, and yet…."

Aizawa grit his teeth. "I knew it," he spat, "Yesterday's incident was because of you louts…"

The white-haired man in the center seemed to be irritated as he leaned back, tilting his head. "Where is he… we went through so much trouble and rustled up so many of us to bring along. You can't tell me that All Might, the symbol of peace, isn't here!" He hissed as the villains advanced towards them. Chiron narrowed his eyes.

"Maybe if we kill a few of these kids he'll come out to play."

Chiron let his arrows fly at that before he leaped down the first flight of stairs, materializing more in a flash and firing them off with lightning speed. He briefly heard Midoriya say something before a flash of black in the corner of his eye signified that Aizawa had joined him.

"Ha! These two think they can take us all by themselves?" A villain wearing what looked to be a mask similar to an ox or bull in shape snorted. "What idiots!"

He barely finished his sentence before Chiron was upon him, dropping his bow and striking him with his palm. The villain went flying and he swung his leg out, slamming into another. Aizawa flew past him overhead, using his capture scarf to take down villains while negating quirks left and right.

Chiron's hand shot up, catching a porcupine-looking villain's attack, breaking the spike with his hand before he rolled out of the way of another. He grabbed his bow, landing in a kneeling position and firing off arrows again— two of which detonated and sent villains back. The greek servant moved quickly, using a mix of Pankration and his archer abilities to take down villains and guarding the steps. A blade was swung at his head but was easily dodged as he grabbed the villain's wrist, shifting the momentum of their attack back onto them. He slammed them mercilessly against the ground, immobilizing the villain after they spat up blood on impact.

He glanced at them briefly before he turned his eyes to the other villains, shifting his footing as more rushed at him.

He nailed one in the solar plexus, sending them back against two others before he grabbed another by their outstretched arm. He flipped this one over as well, the villain landing just as hard as the first and groaning before passing out.

The crowd of villains began to back up and run towards Aizawa, only to stop when he leaped up and over them. He landed a bit in front of them, bow drawn again before he fired off another round of explosive arrows.

The next round of villains rushed him again and he wasted no time laying waste to them— using his bow to deflect blades before he fired off more arrows.

A movement from the corner of his eye made him whip his head to where the white-haired man was standing. A black creature was standing next to him, but the black mist had taken off, heading towards the fleeing students.

"Thirteen!" He yelled over his shoulder, leaping out of the way of another villain before striking them with a kick. He knocked another unconscious with a roundhouse to the back of the head before he leaped up, firing another round of arrows.

He glanced back to Aizawa, cursing a bit as he noticed the white-haired man making his way to the currently occupied hero. He landed with ease, turning and sprinting towards Aizawa.

The distance between the two was too great on two legs. Hooves hit the ground as Chiron discarded his human form, startling the few villains in his path. He dispatched them easily before he leaped up, firing an arrow between Aizawa and the villain. He shifted back to his human form as he landed, the villain stopped his tracks as he stared at the greek hero. He shifted his stance into his normal Pankration one.

"Quite cowardly to attack a man whose back is turned, though I wouldn't expect much from a villain like you," he said, eyes hard. The white-haired man stared before he scratched his neck.

"Nomu," he said, raising a hand and pointing at them. The creature rose, eyes focusing on the two of them. "This one. Take care of him."

Chiron tensed before he leaped away from Aizawa, tossing his bow to the side as it followed him. Aizawa rushed towards the white-haired man as Chiron dodged a blow from the creature.

It was powerful, generating winds with its punches. Chiron landed, leaping back from another hit and leading it away from Aizawa. He leaped up, dodging another hit before a second fist slammed into his side. His breath left his lungs as he flew back, barely able to land correctly.

He staggered, coughing blood as another strike slammed into his side again. Chiron flew back, rolling as he hit the ground. He called his bow back to him, materializing his arrows before firing. The arrows exploded on impact with the creature, slowing it down before Aizawa's capture scarf came out of nowhere, wrapping around the archer's waist. He leaped back, landing next to the erasure hero as the white-haired man stepped up next to the creature.

He materialized more arrows, firing them off at both villains but the creature smacked the arrows aside with a roar. It rushed at them, slamming its fist into the ground and sending them both sprawling. It shot after Aizawa and Chiron hoped that he would forgive him for using him as a distraction.

That one should still be around the city after all. He had to take his chances with him being able to see the signal.

Chiron rolled again, kneeling and firing off arrows. The arrows shot up, destroying the ceiling above them before he glanced to where the creature was beating on Aizawa.

He turned, firing arrows at it again, only for it to drop the mangled body of the erasure hero and rush him. He grinned, leaping back out of the way of a strike, firing arrows up into the hole he created.

"What are you trying to do, hero? Or is your aim so abysmal now that you can't shoot a target in front of you?" the white-haired man sneered as Chiron leaped out of the way of another attack. He landed by Aizawa, picking him up and catching his breath.

"I think my aim is the least of your worries," he said before a blur crashed into the ground behind the creature.

"Reinforcements!?" the white-haired man snarled as dirt and dust were kicked up around them.

"Those afar, listen to my words!" a voice cried out as pink hair and a red and white cape swayed in the wind. "Those nearby, look at my visage!"

A white lance flashed as the rider leaped off the Hippogriff, eyes narrowed. "My name is Astolfo! I challenge you to battle!"


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So since I have no restraint, I made a fake Anime Opening for this. There are a few spoilers for later chapters, but it was gonna be inevitable since I was gonna ask you guys about one later and two are basically in it already.
> 
> Anyways, I do have a question: do you guys want the Movie chapter to be in the fanfic or as a separate story? I can go either way, but I do have a timeline for its placement.
> 
> Link: youtube.com/watch?v=CZbd4XDFuCU

Chiron panted softly as Astolfo and the creature fought, the pink-haired boy dodging and leaping out of the way of its strikes easier than he had. He shifted Aizawa in his arms before he whistled softly and Hippogriff responded by gliding over.

"Here," he said softly, lifting Aizawa's broken and unconscious body up. He set him on the mythical beast's back and it trilled softly, turning back and preening the matted and bloodied hair of the hero a bit. "Yes, he's gravely injured. I have to help Astolfo, but can you take him to UA's campus? You know where it is, right?" he asked as he pulled his ID out, looping the lanyard around its neck.

The hippogriff trilled again, bobbing its head before it took off, carefully flying with Aizawa on its back out of the hole in the ceiling of USJ.

Astolfo was thrown back, the Rider landing on his butt next to Chiron and coughing as the creature turned towards them.

"Thank you for holding the fort down," he said as Astolfo stood, dusting himself off. He brandished his lance with a hum.

"No problemo~" he said, grinning before both servants tensed, seeing the black mist appear again. A metal collar of sorts was seen among the shadowy mass. So he had a physical form then. That made Chiron's job easier.

"Shigaraki Toumra," he spoke and the white-haired man glanced at him.

"Kurogiri," he said, "Then, Number Thirteen is dead?"

Chiron stiffened and Astolfo glanced to him, startled as the man dropped his Pankration stance and started to raise his hand.

The Rider held his arm out in front of the Archer, making Chiron blink and drop his hand when the boy shook his head.

"I have incapacitated them," the warp-gate villain said, "But I'm afraid that one of the students that I was not able to scatter was able to escape outside of the facility."

The white-haired man froze before he reached up, starting to scratch at his neck.

"One of the students escaped then," Astolfo said, "That's good. And you sent the eraser guy off with Hippogriff."

"Yes," Chiron let out a breath before his eyes drifted over to something moving in the terrain across from them. Three heads peeking out of the water.

"Astolfo, there are three children over there," he said softly, "How fast can you get over there."

Astolfo shifted his lance. "Fast enough," he said after a moment. Chiron nodded before Shigaraki dropped his hands.

"Shall we… hop back?" he asked the black mist. Chiron tensed and Astolfo took a breath.

There was no way that these villains were going to give up so easily.

"Actually… before we do that…" the white-haired man said. "Why don't we use this opportunity to take… the symbol of peace's pride down a notch!"

In a flash, both the villain and the rider had taken off. Astolfo swung his lance out, striking the white-haired man in the side. Shigaraki was knocked off balance as Astolfo stood in front of the three students. The nomu screeched, leaping after its master and reaching for Astolfo, who only grinned.

Arrows exploded in the Nomu's face as the sound of splashing reached their ears. Chiron stood in the water, having leaped over them, his bow drawn and in his true centaur form. At the same moment, Astolfo swung his arm, slicing at Shigaraki with his lance. The man leaped back, dodging before they all looked up, seeing the doors explode.

"Have no fear," a familiar voice boomed. "For I have come."

(x)

Chiron's eyes widened as momentary shock washed over everyone in the facility. In a flash, the villains in the plaza were taken out and with movements that only a servant could track, All Might had grabbed Midoriya, Mineta, Tsuyu, and Astolfo in his arms— the last of the four too startled to even try escaping for a moment before…

"Hey! What's the big deal! I was fighting!" the Rider huffed and Chiron sighed, stepping from the water and flicking his tail. Midoriya stared at him as he moved over to them, standing by All Might, Astolfo, and the students.

"Enough, Astolfo," he said before he rounded on not only the students but All Might as well.

"Go back to the entrance, all four of you," he said, voice deadly cold as his green eyes glowed a bit. "Astolfo, back them up and keep them safe."

All Might growled, eyes glowing as well. "You can't be serious—"

A hand was next to his throat in a flash. "Recall who I am," he said quietly. "And recall your limit. I understand your need to be a hero, but no one is up there protecting the students."

Both heroes gazed at each other before Chiron spoke again, voice deathly cold.

"Think of this as you atonement to Aizawa."

There was a moment of pause before the blonde nodded slowly.

"Right," he uttered before he scooped the children up and took off. Astolfo glanced at Chiron before he sighed.

"It's time to use that, don't hold back. The Grail gave you the power of the fallen servants from Trifas. Use them." He said softly. Chiron only sighed.

"We'll see if one shot can kill it or not," he said just as soft and Astolfo nodded again before bounding after the symbol of peace.

The nomu screeched again, seeing its targeted prey escape. It started to rush towards them, only to be cut off by a hand grabbing its wrist. Chiron twisted, slamming it into the ground with ease. It clawed to its feet, growling and backing back up to its master as the Archer blocked its path.

"I should have started off with everything at the beginning," he said, eyes flashing before he reared up, pointing his finger to the sky.

Shigaraki widened his eyes as the sky seemed to darken above them.

 ** _"This is a blow that pierces the stars of the Scorpion,"_** He said, voice reverberating throughout the entire facility. Shigaraki looked up, watching as a constellation formed in the darkening sky.

"Nomu! Kurogiri! Kill him!" Shigaraki shrieked and all three villains shot towards him.

**_"Scatter among the stars! My arrow has already been let loose! Antares Snipe: Heavenly Scorpion Single-Shot!"_ **

With a bright flash, a streak of golden light rocketed down from the hole in the ceiling. Kurogiri grabbed Shigaraki and warped them back as the comet shot through the Nomu's head.

At the same time, Chiron let loose arrows, detonating all of them as soon as they reached Shigaraki, Kurogiri, and the nomu. The creature screeched weakly as the smoke cleared from the blasts, the exposed brain mostly destroyed from the Phantasm and the arrows. Its eyes rolled up towards the ruined ceiling as it swayed, collapsing on to the ground.

No matter what quirk that creature had, with the brain destroyed there would be no sort of healing that could save it.

Shigaraki shrieked again before he rushed at Chiron, hands outstretched. Chiron reared up, drawing his bow again before his eyes flashed red. He felt his spirit origin tug before shifting slightly and flashes of a bloodstained battlefield appeared in his mind. The Greater Grail had shifted phantasms and abilities from the Trifas servants to him as part of their deal. It worked well with his own skills, if the time came he could hand Astolfo what he needed as well.

At this moment in time, though, Astolfo couldn't back him up, so he would have to rely on his former leader's abilities.

Spires of what appeared to be made out blood shot up from the ground.

 ** _"Kazikli Bey,"_** Chiron uttered lowly.

Shigaraki dodged out of the way of most spires, though one had shot through his left palm, making his screech.

The spire disintegrated as the villain slammed his other hand onto it. He thrust his hands forward again as Chiron's eyes went back to normal. Four portals opened up, transporting Shigaraki's hands behind Chiron and he turned, moving to dodge before blood spattered across his cheek as a gunshot went off. Shigaraki pulled his hands back with a hiss of pain.

"They're here!" Chiron exclaimed, glancing towards the entrance for a moment. He leaped back from Shigaraki as more gunshots rang out from the top of the stairs.

"Sorry everyone, I know we're a bit late," The principal's clear voice rang out through the facility. "But I got the teachers over here as fast as I could!"

"Your class rep has returned!" Iida added, "I've fulfilled my duty and I've brought reinforcements!"

Chiron smiled, seeing a large number of the staff present, Hippogriff as well, the beast's wings splayed and feathers puffed up. All Might stepped over to them, eyes blazing. Astolfo grinned before he moved from Midoriya's side to stand by the teachers. His presence seemed startled several of them as he climbed on Hippogriff before they snapped out of their daze when several villains rushed at them.

Mic 'tch'd, stepping forwards and taking a breath before he let his quirk loose with a loud **_"YEAAAAAAH!"_**

Many of the villains were either sent flying or simply passed out as the yell continued and Astolfo took off on Hippogriff. Ectoplasm's clones shot down the stairs to join the fray as Villains went down as victims to the Rider's lance.

"There are still students around! Split up and take care of the rest!" Nezu commanded and the staff took off in different directions. Chiron rounded back onto Shigaraki and Kurogiri, bow drawn. He released a volley of arrows, joined by Snipe's shower of bullets but Kurogiri wrapped himself around the white-haired man.

Kurogiri started to warp away with Shigaraki half out of the gate and cursing. A strong gust made Chiron glance over to the entrance. Thirteen was being held up by Sero and Sato, hand outstretched and quirk activated to drag Kurogiri closer— Shigaraki cursing him and All Might the entire time.

Shaking out of his stupor, the archer lunged forward to grab one of the two villains, only to grasp at nothing as Kurogiri warped them away.

"Damn…" he uttered, running a hand through his hair. "They broke in and then escaped without a trace…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's a wrap. I probably should set a schedule to post the next chapters but nope. I'm just posting them as I refine them. I have one more chapter for today though.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the second of the two chapters im posting tonight because once again, zero restraint and scheduling.

Chiron shifted back into his human form as the rest of the staff took off. As the fight ended and the villains were rounded up, Astolfo had joined him at the Plaza. Both servants exchanged a look, Astolfo glancing at the remains of the spires of blood before the two turned and made their way back up to the entrance.

They were on the last few stairs when Chiron was cut off by a gun pointed at his face. "Not a step more, pardner," Snipe said. "What's with that form, huh? You've been lying about your quirk." "A bit paranoid," Astolfo said under his breath and Chiron reached up, lowering the gun. "Paranoid or not, Astolfo, he does have a reason to," Chiron said with a smile. "But only because he didn't read the materials that I had suggested to him." "Wha-!" "Enough," Nezu spoke up, hands behind his back. "Snipe, remove your gun from Archer's face, please. It's good to see you again, Astolfo. Thanks to your Hippogriff, Aizawa's injures and the strain from them were lessened."

Astolfo laughed as he rubbed the back of his head. "It was no problem! Wow, you're still as small as I remember, how cute!" "And you're still as rude! Ahahaha!"

Midnight glanced over to Nezu, looking between him and Astolfo as Snipe seemed to sulk a bit at getting told off. "You know this kid, Principal?" She asked and the mammalian principal nodded.

"Indeed, I've met both Astolfo and Chiron— oh, excuse me, Archer— before, after all! That's why I was so willing to hire him," the principal told them with a nod. "I wouldn't just hire any old foreigner!" Chiron chuckled. "I promise you both that in our next meeting I can explain the extent of my quirk, and a few other things. That being said, I realize that everyone here is confused," he said before he frowned. "Nezu, the students will be curious about Astolfo. I'm certain a number of the staff are as well. As Astolfo is my charge and without a license, I was hoping for the outside aide to be kept a secret, or at least some sort of fabrication to make it seem as if Astolfo's presence was transferring due to into class 1-A."

Nezu hummed, tail flicking as he thought. "The second one shouldn't be too hard, and since Astolfo similar to you, I don't mind doing paperwork for a transfer student."

Midnight tilted her head. "Wouldn't that disrupt the numbers then? The classes should stay even, right?"

"Can we remove Mineta, then? He's bothering the girls in my class," Chiron piped up and Nezu laughed.

"Afraid not, for now. We'll keep the numbers uneven, it shouldn't cause much of an issue. Students shift around from the General Department to the Hero Course yearly. Class 3-A doesn't have an even number of students, either," the principal told her and the R18 Hero nodded.

"There's that issue too, though…" Chiron murmured, making all three UA Staff members look to him. He glanced over to where the pink-haired rider was patting and playing with Hippogriff. "Uniforms… and the bathroom situation…"

Midnight seemed to catch on quickly, making a soft 'oh' noise while Nezu nodded, the principal already knowing what the Archer meant. Snipe still seemed quizzical.

"Ain't the kid a lass? She should be wearin' the lass' uniform and all that, right?" he asked, tilting his head. Chiron shook his head in return.

"Astolfo like to keep that part, gender that is, a secret. It goes as far as saying as such on official papers, but Astolfo is a boy. He prefers to dress in pretty things, but not because he has a wish to be a girl. It's just how he is," He explained. "I'm sure he would prefer the girl's uniform, school wise, but he'll still refer to the boy's dressing and bathrooms."

"Oh, that is a problem… well, actually, not really," Midnight said, "Wouldn't it just be easier to tell the students outright that Alstolfo is a boy? He has no, ah, issues with people knowing, right?"

"Logically, yes," Chiron agreed, "But he likes for people to find out himself. It appears he's lost all sense of reason."

"Just like the story!" Nezu chirped, climbing up onto Chiron's shoulder using his tail, then his hair. The archer didn't stop him, humming in agreement.

"Yes, he left all of it on the moon," he said before he sighed. "I hate to cut our conversation short, but I would like to check on Aizawa and Thirteen soon."

"Of course," Nezu said, "I'm sure we're all anxious to check on him."

(x)

As the staff of UA talked, elsewhere in a bar in an unknown location a gateway opened up and Shigaraki was deposited on the floor. The black mist retracted as the white-haired man bled on the wooden floor, revealing Kurogiri's more true form dressed in a bartender's uniform.

Shigaraki trembled, just barely holding back a scream of frustration. "Shot in both the arms and the legs…" He hissed, "We were completely defeated… Even Nomu was done in! All those underlings were routed instantly… those guys were so strong!" His eyes narrowed. "And that guy… and the pink brat… the Symbol of Peace didn't even fight at all… You said this would be easy!" he gazed up at the TV monitor which only had the words 'Sound Only' on the screen. "You were wrong, sensei! So wrong!"

 **"No, I wasn't,"** a voice crackled from the monitor, **"We just weren't prepared."**

 **"I agree,"** A second voice said, **"Thankfully, we failed under the cheap 'League of Villains' name instead of our own. Incidentally… what became of the joint project of Sensei and I's work? Why is Nomu not with you?"** Kurogiri stepped forwards, his shadowy hands clenched at his sides. 

"His head was obliterated. Internal organs blasted to bits. There was no way for it to regenerate after that." If Kurogiri had a mouth that was visible, it would have been seen with him gritting his teeth."It was that Archer's doing. A power that I had never seen before…" he reported. There was a moment of silence before 'Sensei' spoke up again.

 **"An 'Archer'? A student or a teacher we didn't know about?"** 'Sensei' asked, tone interested. **"Tell me more, Kurogiri."** The warpgate villain nodded. "When we arrived, Thirteen and Eraserhead were there, All Might was not, but in his place was an unknown man. A teacher that Eraserhead called 'Archer'. He was strong, he took on Nomu with nothing but a bow and his bare hands… what surprised me was a transformation. This man became half horse, but I can't pin his quirk. I had thought it was material creation, as he changed from a suit to battle attire in an instant and kept firing arrows without a quiver… then perhaps strength, when he took the underlings down, left and right," He told the two behind the screen. "Transformation afterward, when he changed forms. But then he did that after he shooed the Symbol of Peace off…"

 **"What 'thing', Kurogiri, speak clearly,"** the second voice growled, obviously irritated.

"He fired something with the power of a small comet down from the skies. It shot Nomu right through the head and then he open fired on it. There was no time to defend it." he sighed, "And then the fourth skill. I head him name it, Kazikli Bey… Spires shot from the ground when Shigaraki got close to him. I cannot pin his quirk at all."

 **"Interesting…"** 'Sensei' said, **"We will have to look into this…"**

Shigaraki trembled. "Power… Power… that archer wasn't the only one…." he hissed. "That pink-haired brat. Coming in from the sky… how dare she, how dare she!"

The white-haired man clawed the floor in frustration. "She wasn't playing by the rules at all!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like all the other characters barring staff and Chiron, Shigaraki thinks Astolfo is a girl and will probably never find out unless he goes undercover himself.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: uh there are some manga spoilers but nothing too obvious. Also surprising no one, im back. again. with another chapter. There are some comments (ha some, I mean all of them) that I respond to on the FF.N chapters, so don't be afraid to comment something here! I'll respond to it :)

Chiron had explained everything he could to the staff over a secured conference call from Aizawa and Thirteen's shared hospital room.

The space hero, while obscured by a curtain that went around their bed for privacy, had been absolutely delighted to learn that they were co-workers with and going to be teaching two living legends. There were a lot of questions that went around, and Aizawa was aggravated that he didn't connect the dots, but more than grateful that Astolfo had shown up when he did.

Over the call, Chiron had warned the staff about the Nomu, what he had felt and discovered from fighting it. It wasn't a human with multiple quirks, further solidified by Aizawa's input that Shigaraki treated it more like a pet. It could have been human once, but Chiron would have had to have more time with it, the archer had told them. He apologized for killing it without thinking about the police investigation, but Nezu assured him it was fine and the use of his phantasm was omitted from the police report. Obviously, UA would be dragged through the dirt for a bit if word got out, but Chiron told the staff he could have it covered. A hundred years of networking and contact forging paid off and between he and Astolfo had at least four hero embassies and governments behind them, not to mention the Mage's Association— though they were rather reluctant about it.

There was another thing that bothered him, about the warp-gate villain, but he was unsure if it was just because of how close the Nomu was or if it was truly from the villain. Kurogiri didn't feel human either. Not fully, at least, but he wasn't sure. Only Thirteen, Nezu, and Aizawa were told this after the other teachers hung up. Chiron knew he was bound to show his face again and he'd rather confirm his suspicions than go off on a possible theory.

Furthermore, All of the students had been informed via mail that Astolfo had been an early transfer student who had arrived a day before he was supposed to because he recognized that there was trouble. It was brief and more than a bit suspicious, but there was nothing to be done with the sports festival approaching soon. Both he and Nezu hoped that the festival would keep the students' minds from the more than shady way Astolfo appeared.

His mind kept going back to Kurogiri, however. There was no doubt that the blackmist Quirk user was, at one point, a human. There was a vaguely human feeling to him, but it was far too faint. A dead apostle, maybe? He hoped not, because that would mean calling the Church to deal with it and he didn't really feel like doing that. The other option was a more... perfected Nomu. One that was fully coherent and able to think for itself. If that was the case, was the one who created the Nomu further ahead than he had originally assumed? How many others were like the warpgate villain?

All of these thoughts plagued Chiron as he walked down the hall towards Class 1-A. He slid the door open before he frowned, seeing Eraserhead standing at the front of the class. He apparently escaped from the hospital. Despite both he and Recovery Girl's work on healing him over the two days break, the hero shouldn't have been up and moving.

"You should be resting," Chiron sighed as he trotted in, having since discarded his human form now that the students had seen him already.

"Shouldn't your ribs be getting treated?" Aizawa said at the same time, the other man attempting to use the injury that Chiron had sustained to turn the argument onto the archer. Chiron sighed.

"First of all, my ribs weren't broken," he told him, a look reminding the hero of his accelerated healing rate, "Secondly, even if they were, I'd be less of a mummy then you are now."

Aizawa huffed, making a few of his students smile. "The sports festival is coming up," he reasoned, "The students need to know about it and begin preparation."

Chiron sighed. "Aizawa-sensei, you've got two broken arms, your face was smashed in, and you still need to rest. I understand that you have a duty to your students, but do you really have enough energy to deal with all of them and the new transfer student today?" he asked the man, tilting his head towards the door, where two shadows were seen outside it. Aizawa seemed to think about it, stopping his movement before Chiron sighed, giving the man one last push.

"You can sleep while I teach, Aizawa-sensei."

"Alright," he decided almost immediately moving out of the way for the centaur. Chiron smiled, stepping up to the podium.

"So as you all know, we do have a student transferring in early this year," he said. "Some of you might have seen them the other day with me, though their bravery and recklessness comes from their background in the United Kingdom and France."

Some of the students perked up and a majority of them looked over to the door as it opened. Midnight could be seen outside but the real person of interest was Astolfo as he walked in, hands behind his back.

"Hello! I'm Astolfo Charlemagne— oops, Charlemagne, Astolfo! Nice to meet ya!" the boy chirped. Chiron had to admit that the UA girl's uniform did suit the Rider, though then again, he couldn't exactly picture him in anything that seemed to be 'male' oriented. In combination with the uniform, the boy was also wearing black tights under the skirt. Instead of the usual uniform shoes, the Rider had taken a page from the boys' books and chosen to wear the purple converse he owned. Chiron was almost positive the boy had those because of the fact that they remind him of his time with Seig in Trifas, not that he blamed him at all.

The Archer glanced at the students, internally grimacing at the visible flushes on Kaminari and Mineta's faces, along with the pool of drool from the later's mouth on his desk. Yaoyorozu seemed to be staring intently at Astolfo and Chiron wouldn't be surprised if she figured out that something was a bit off about him.

"You can go sit behind Miss Yaoyorozu, Astolfo," he said and the boy nodded, walking over to the empty desk and sitting down. The black-haired girl turned around briefly and nodded to him politely, which was returned with a grin from him.

"Now, onto other things," Chiron said, "I know how big the U.A. sports festival is in Japan, so I do agree that preparation is important. Originally, Aizawa-sensei's lesson was going to be on this."

He gestured to the other man, who grumbled a bit from the yellow sleeping bag he had pulled out from under the podium.

"That being said, the best way to prepare for this festival is to know your Quirk," he continued, which made several students look at each other and Bakugou scoff. He held up a finger.

"'Every Quirk has its limit'," He quoted. "I'm more than certain that you've heard that saying at least once, whether you ignored it or not, this term does stand true. How many times have you considered your own limit?"

That made some students start to pay real attention as he continued. "Some have obvious drawbacks. For example, Midoriya's quirk gives him extreme strength but at the cost of destroying his body. Sato needs sugar to fully power his own up and Uraraka needs to have contact to make someone weightless. The assignment I want you all to do is to find out about the weaknesses and limits of your own quirk and how to best work around them. While brainstorming yourselves, you also need to ask classmates. Just because you think your quirk is limitless doesn't mean someone else hasn't noticed a flaw, and ask me if they can't think of anything. Now, any questions?" he asked and Ashido raised her hand, as did Midoriya (which was expected).

"What's your weakness, Sensei?" Ashido asked after he nodded to her. "I mean, we hardly know anything about your Quirk!"

A few students nodded and he noticed Midoriya pull his notebook out. Chiron sighed but smiled.

"Before I answer that, how many of you looked up the materials I suggested for you to read when you first asked me about my Quirk?" he asked and about half the class raised their hands. "And out of all of you, how many of you made the connection?"

Half of those hands went down and Chiron gazed at the hands that remained raised. He nodded a bit. "I expected more than that, but what's done is done. Tokoyami, would you like to tell the rest of the class of the connection between all of the heroes of each of the stories?"

The boy with the head of a bird blinked before he nodded. "Each of them had a character that was in all of their stories who was also the main Hero's teacher— a centaur by the name of Chiron."

"Good," Chiron said, "So to answer your question, Ashido, and Bakugou's from the beginning of the year, on paper my Quirk is called Sagittarius, but as you can see, it has also given me many qualities of the man in the myth. As you all know, there are three classifications of Quirks— Emitter, Mutant, and Transformation— that are known as general knowledge to the public. There is a fourth category that is so rare it is disregarded and often forgotten. Of those who do pay attention to it, many believe that its origins go back farther than the first quirk appearance. Or perhaps it was born from legends itself. As of now, there are only two people with this classification, known as 'Servant'. This classification was borrowed from an old storybook about mages summoning heroic legends from the past as Servants to fight." He told his students, smiling a bit as he watched even the most bored-looking students in the room perk up a bit.

"The true name of my Quirk is Heroic Legend: Sagittarius in reference to the constellation the hero Chiron became, but it's too long so I always say it's Sagittarius. The Greek Government actually asked for me to change my name to Chiron in order to keep track of me," he told with a slight laugh. "But I'm limited to what I can do. While Chiron is a man of many talents, I'm limited to those. I can improve those skills, but I can't create anything new unless an outside factor is added in. And of course, because of how he died, I'm more wary of poisons and snakes in general."

Most of what he was saying was all lies. Well, to an extent. He was logged into the hero system as such, but he and the rest of the Hero Embassies knew that there was no such thing as a fourth class of Quirks. The common man wouldn't know that though, they didn't have the authority nor the clearance to get that high up in government and medical files.

Midoriya spoke up next after looking up from his note-taking. "You said there were only two people with the Servant Quirk classification? Do you know who the other one is?"

Chiron paused, glancing at Astolfo for a split second. The Rider nodded slightly and he hummed. "Well, I would have assumed it's obvious that I do. And so do rest of you do as well."

Kaminari frowned. "What do you mean, teach?" he asked, leaning back in his seat. "I mean, it's not like any of us in here have—"

He cut himself off as everyone turned to Astolfo, who blinked and then pointed to himself.

"Oh? Is it my turn now?" he asked with a goofy grin.

"So which story is it?" Midoriya asked, leaning towards him and Astolfo put a thumb to his chest.

"Like Ch- er, Sensei, I also was asked to change my name, but by both France and Great Britain," he said, "The one and only son of King Otto and one of King Charlemagne's twelve paladins! The paladin Astolfo! They call it Heroic Legend: Paladin! But I just call it Paladin."

Noises of awe came from a number of the students before Chiron clapped his hands. "As fun as it would be to go farther into the Servant Quirk Classification, we have gotten off-topic."

"Oh! Right! So how do you get around your own limits, sensei?" Sero asked, giving him his usual grin and Chiron smiled.

"As stated, my Quirk allows me to do a number of things, but since I prefer fighting from a distance, I learned hand to hand combat to defend myself should an enemy get too close. My Signature Move would also be considered a weakness. Despite looking powerful, it's only so if hitting in a fatal or vital part of the body or at a weak spot. I can only use it once per day as well," he told the class before indicating to the sleeping Aizawa. "Aizawa-sensei's quirk would be very beneficial to me. I'm more susceptible to poisons because of the way Chiron had died in his legend, Aizawa-sensei can negate Quirks that deal with breathing poison gasses or injecting venom into someone that way, so I wouldn't worry about it. If I get bit by a snake though, there's not much you can do about that aside from hoping for a painless passing."

"That's so grim..." the students said and the Archer just laughed.

Sero nodded, though, as did a few others before Shoji spoke up.

"So that's how you work around your weaknesses and limits, sensei?" he asked through one of the mouthes he created from his limbs. "By learning how to physically deal with it and finding others that have Quirks to balance them out?"

He nodded, "Yes. Every proper hero should. Usually, it is quite uncommon for heroes to work together without a hero-sidekick narrative, but it's possible— some heroes do team up, as you saw with Present Mic and Ectoplasm-sensei's tag team attack at the USJ. Some heroes and sidekicks specifically had support gear that works with the main person they team up with."

"All Might always works alone, though. So does that mean that he doesn't have any weaknesses?" Kirishima asked and Chiron shook his head, sighing a bit.

"It might seem that way, but even he has a weakness. Unfortunately, his quirk restricts the amount of help another hero or sidekick would be able to provide. If someone were to work alongside him, he'd have to pull his punches due to the knockback he creates," he explained, thinking a bit. "If I recall, though, he did have a sidekick for a while. I'm not sure of the details there, but it would be best if he had a support-based sidekick. One who could think ahead for him due to his tendency to rush into battle."

"Endeavor doesn't have a sidekick," Torodoki spoke up, voice even but the Archer could tell there was some bitterness in his tone. Chiron sighed again.

"You're partially correct. Endeavor's agency has over thirty sidekicks, but from what I know of, none of them work alongside of Endeavor on the field. That doesn't mean he's invincible, though. He still has a weakness. I'd say that its the fact that he refuses to admit he has one," he told the white and red-haired boy. "Aside from that, there are times where his fire would be useless in a fight or even make it worse. Though, as far as I know, it hasn't backfired on him in public yet. His hair-trigger temper is also a weakness, and his more hostile nature makes him unlikeable to many— something that heroes do need to think about as well. Charisma and charm are a major aspect of even entering the ranks of the top one hundred heroes."

He pulled some papers from his folder, stepping out from behind the podium and trotting to the front of each row. He handed a stack to each student sitting there before he walked back to the podium.

"Please write any and all brainstorming ideas onto this paper, if you run out of room, feel free to attach more," he told the class and the students started working. Throughout the class, a few asked one or two other questions, though kept mostly to themselves, or were talking with Astolfo. Near the end of class, Chiron started collecting papers.

"I have two things that I'd like to say before you all leave," he said before the class ended and the students turned to look at them. "First of all, I had gone to meet thirteen yesterday and they send their regards. Secondly, I will be giving each of you a written assignment based on the weaknesses that you've provided me, which will be passed out the next time we have class. If you didn't name your weakness, expect a surprise when you get the assignment."

He picked up his folder, smiling again in that pleasant but chilling way.

"Have a pleasant day," he told them before he trotted out of the classroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I probably won't be writing a chapter on how Chiron totally destroys the students with their weaknesses. If I do, it won't be for all of them. I actually wrote this chapter before the Endeavor Agency Arc in the manga, so I did have to change a line due to the fact that Moe Kamiji exists! I love her! She's precious and I would die for her, but I probably wouldn't have to because she can take care of herself.
> 
> I do have another question for you guys though— should Chiron kill All for One? I'm working on later chapters and curious what you think. Obviously, changes in BNHA canon, but you know. Thoughts?


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello. We are back. With more fun. I'm honestly astounded at the amount of traffic this story has gotten, so thank you all! Anyways, I'm going to be posting two chapters tonight, because I have them ready. Posting might slow down because classes start tomorrow, but I also have like zero restraint and there's no schedule so we'll see.

They had both felt it after school had been let out for the day.

It was when they were out shopping for groceries.

A disturbance in the air, the taste of static in the back of their throats. Chiron felt it pricking on his skin as he trotted down the aisle. Both of them stopped when they felt the emergence of the Minor Grail again, Chiron turning and looking out the windows at the front of the store.

Astolfo grimaced, setting the box he was holding in the cart. "Looks like it's that time again," he said, sighing. "I'll see if I can fly over later today in order to take spirit signatures in case any of them end up like us. I'll also see if I can get a way to contact the Church this time. Seems like we should keep tabs on the War this year..."

Chiron nodded, sighing before he smacked Astolfo's hand as it was placing another box in the cart.

"Hey, no," he told him, "You have enough snacks, we need to go and grab things for dinner."

The pink-haired Rider just stuck his tongue out, putting it in the cart anyway. It probably didn't help that Chiron just sighed before he continued on down the aisle.

"Very well, Astolfo," he said, "But that's the last one."

"Sure, sure~!"

(x)

The day of the festival had dawned four days after the two had felt the shift signaling a Grail War.

Astolfo had gone over just to meet the Overseer, but he and Chiron were planning to both go during internships to check it out. Normally, Chiron staid away from Grail Wars, but it was an exception this time.

He just had a feeling that something was going to be different.

Despite that, the exhilarating mood didn't change as the morning of the Festival saw Chiron arriving at the school quite early. Breakfast was already made and set out for Astolfo, the rider still at home sleeping as Chiron made his way to the other teachers waiting to walk down to the stadium.

Servants had no need for food, drink, or sleep, but many chose to sleep and eat anyways. For Chiron, it was also a way of healing injuries faster and gaining energy instead of relying only on the Greater Grail for mana. Astolfo was the same, and the fact that he happened to like all sorts of foods definitely helped.

Speaking of the Rider, Chiron had decided to take the boy's suggestion for the day and dress in only his tunic instead of donning his armor as well. Astolfo claimed it gave him more of the 'Greek Hero' vibe, though he had told the archer that it would have been even better if he wore a toga. The rider did go out to a local arts and crafts store and bought fake laurel branches.

Chiron had ended up showing him how to turn them into a well-made wreath and was currently wearing the one that he had made with the Rider.

Nonetheless, it seems as if Chiron wasn't the only one who had decided to step up their appearance. All the other teachers were in their best hero costumes, looking prim and poised— save one. Aizawa just didn't care. Still wrapped head to toe in bandages, scruffy as ever.

"Wowza, Chiron!" Yamada cheered as he trotted over to the rest of the staff. As soon as he had arrived the group started moving down towards the to the stadium to greet security and the vendors.

"Totally rockin' the Greek vibe! I like it!" The Voice Hero added, flashing him a thumbs up with a grin as Kayama nodded in agreement. Thirteen clasped their hands together, also delighted. After the USJ, he had insisted that the teachers simply call him by his True Name, rather than Archer or by his mother's name that had served as his false surname. It was easier on them and himself that way. And considering how Astolfo had practically ignored the 'last name' as well, it was no surprise that a number of his students were also starting to call him 'Chiron' as well.

It was nice.

"Astolfo insisted," He told the Voice Hero with a slight laugh before he looked over to Aizawa. "How are you holding up, Aizawa?"

The dark-haired man grunted before he responded to him. "Recovery Girl won't let me out of these, but aside from my arms and a headache, pretty much everything is healed…" he said flatly.

Chiron nodded, frowning a bit as he thought.

"Uh-Oh, I know that look, Chiron," Nemuri teased. "What idea do you have this time?"

The centaur chuckled as he smiled again. "I was just thinking about how Aizawa might be exhausted. Well, more than he usually is. So, I was just thinking that instead of Aizawa co-commentating with Yamada, I could. Ah, if that's alright with you, Aizawa?"

Aizawa just turned towards the centaur, nodding. "You're a god above your half brother, Chiron. Thank you for letting me sleep."

Yamada looked a bit put off at his friend's abandonment but then turned to Chiron with another thumbs up and grin. "Glad to have you on board, buddy!"

"Please take care of me," he laughed softly as they continued to walk.

"Hey, will you be alright there, though, Chiron?" Yagi asked, tilting his head. "I can't imagine that standing for the entire festival would be comfortable. At least you can sit on the couch in the teacher's break room to do work."

Chiron just smiled before he shifted back into his human form. Yagi chuckled. "Yeah, that would do it," the blonde said.

"Besides, I'd be stuck in the same position in the stands," he added. "It's a win-win for Aizawa and I— he gets to sleep and I have more space than in the stands."

(x)

"Hey, hey!"

Chiron turned as Snipe called out to him and Yamada. The two of them had just split off from the rest of the group to go set up the sound booth when the cowboy hero ran up to them.

"Archer," he started, "You a-bettin' man?"

Chiron blinked as Yamada swiped the notepad that Snipe had held out to them, scribbling something down.

"You're asking me if I bet on… children?" he asked, raising a brow.

"Heroes in training, pardner," he corrected, "Got my eyes on that Bakugou kid to win this. Thought we could liven up our watching. It's all in good fun."

"Snipe, I'm not usually the type to bet on my students," he said, slowly and Snipe sighed, reaching for the notepad.

"Suit yerself, bronco," he said before Chiron stopped him.

"You didn't let me finish, Snipe," He chided with a smile, making the man perk and Yamada pump the air with his fist. The archer took the note pad. "I agree that Bakugou is likely to win this overall. Second is up in the air, but third… hm…" he quickly jotted down a name.

"I believe in Tokoyami Fumikage."

"Bold one, ain't ya! I like it," Snipe chuckled as Chiron handed the notepad back. "Loser's buying the staff drinks after the festival, by the way— Hey, Ectoplasm!"

And with that last remark, the hero had run off to go and catch the other mask-wearing man. Chiron chuckled as Yamada shook his head.

"Every year," he said with a chuckle.

"Is that so?" Chiron asked as they continued back on their way to the booth. The blonde nodded.

"Yup, but it's all good. This is when the betting really gets good. The festival kickstarts the rest of the bets for the year, after all," he told him. "You didn't bet on your servant friend, though?"

Chiron shook his head, following Yamada up the stairs to the sound booth. "No, Astolfo's strong, but he admitted that using all of his Servant abilities would feel like cheating. Not to mention, the other day we felt a shift in the nations Prana. A Grail War has started and Astolfo doesn't want to be sought out by heroes who wouldn't understand how servants work," he pointed out, "Nezu already agreed to state that he and I were covering his internships. We both plan to go to Fuyuki to see what's going on in more detail during that time. Best get a feel for the servants there in case any of them end up like us."

He sighed, shaking his head again. "In short, Astolfo said he'd be taking everything easy and then Aizawa got angry."

Yamada laughed as he unlocked the door to the sound booth. "Sounds like Shouta, that's for sure!" he said, turning the lights on and stepping in. "You gonna be in your human or horse form, man?"

"Human to start," Chiron responded as he stepped in, closing the door behind him. "I might shift if I feel too cramped, but it shouldn't be too much of a problem."

Yamada gave him a thumbs up, hitting various switches and buttons on the board. "Sounds cool to me," he said, "And don't worry about the buttons and such, all you have to do is hang out and be totally cool."

The blonde sat down in his chair before he grabbed one of the two mics.

"Testing, testing! Soooounds good! Let's get rolling!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It seems like there's a majority of people who agree that Chiron should take out AfO and for those who said no on both Ao3 and FFN, I recognize that the AfO fight is very important to my hero, but remember this is AU. I'm going to be kicking canon to the dirt in several instances. Chiron's main goal is to take care of evils that arrive in whichever way he sees fit. He's not going to be happy to realize that Bakugou was kidnapped and we've seen that while Chiron is a man (more like a horseman, ahahahaha) of patience and mild personality, Avicibron noticed that Chiron does occasionally act out of anger. Chiron's known as a level headed person, so yes, one could say that he would be less likely to kill someone but you have to remember that he and Achilles were fighting to the death. He aimed to kill his former student for the sake of the Grail. He had no qualms about killing Caster either for being a traitor. And considering how AfO was also the one pulling the strings behind the USJ, which injured two of his coworkers/now friends and almost ended one of his students' lives, jailing AfO would be merciful.
> 
> So would shooting his dick off, but that's another chapter for another story. I have a lot of plans and All Might won't be the only one fighting AfO in that fight anyways— Chiron, Astolfo, the mystery Third Servant (unless you've also seen this on ao3, then it's not a mystery whoops), and like, two others will also be there fighting. That said, the "will AfO get shot" question still remains up for debate, so if you guys have anything else to say on that matter, then ye. Go for it, I will be taking every opinion into account.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the second chapter of the night. Reviews for 10 and 11 will be in Chapter 12. Reminder, if anyone has opinions on if Chiron should kill All for One comment/review below.

The stands were roaring, the noise so loud it would have been shaking an ordinary set of bleachers, but then again, UA never did ordinary. Chiron smiled as Yamada switched the screen on, making the crowd go even wilder.

"HEEY!" The voice hero greeted, "Make some noise all you rabid sports fans! Get those cameras ready, mass media! This year we're bringing you some of the hottest performances in sports festival history, guaranteed! I've only got one question for you all: Are you reaaady!?"

The voice hero leaned forwards, having been making wide gestures with his hands the entire time as he continued. "Lemme hear you scream as our students make their way to the big staaage!"

Chiron smiled as he watched the first-year students all file in from the back rooms. Astolfo bounced as he followed Uraraka and the others, Yamada continuing to make announcements.

Both the Hero classes and the support class were impressive looking, but he frowned as he noticed how dejected the General Education Studies students looked as they took the field. He would have to ask Nezu if he could stand-in for a teacher once or twice. He had a feeling that the students there had more than impressive Quirks. Cultivation and care were key, after all.

His frown rightened as Kayama raised her red flogger. Chiron wasn't exactly sure who the second year overseer was, but Kayama was acting as the first year one. Supposedly Nezu was overseeing the seniors, but he told them he would meet with them during the lunch break.

Chiron switched his mic to mute, turning to Yamada. "Bakugou's the first-year class rep?" he asked and the blonde nodded, muting his own mic as silence fell over the stands.

"Sensei…" Bakugou started. "I'm gonna place first."

"He's so blunt…" Chiron sighed. "I figured he'd say something like that."

Yamada chuckled as he shook his head, the stands and other students yelling and booing at him.

"Well now he's gotta live up to that," the blonde said, "The kid messes up and doesn't place first, he'll look like a moron."

Chiron nodded in agreement, both of them switching their mics back on as Kayama announced the first event.

An obstacle race, though nothing like a normal one. Chiron had a hand in helping set some of the tightropes and explosives, but he had no idea how the student body would fare.

As soon as Kayama yelled start, the students had rushed the very narrow entrance.

"And we're off to a racing start!" Yamada exclaimed. Chiron nodded.

"What should we be paying attention to at the early stages of this race, Present Mic?" He asked with a smile before the two both snapped their fingers.

"It's the doorway," he and the voice hero said in unison, watching as the bots picked up on the first half of students who had rushed the door. The door was such a narrow bottleneck that the way the students had rushed in only ended up making them all get stuck pushing against each other.

"Oh my, so cold," Chiron said with a sigh as he watched Todoroki freeze the ground and many of the students around him. Despite that, a number of the other students managed to avoid the obstacle that the boy had put in front of them. Astolfo had simply stuck to running on the ice, showing his true skills as a rider class servant with superior balance over the slick surface. Other students were doing similar things, albeit less gracefully and a couple fell on their faces, the centaur noted.

To his surprise though, Mineta had been the one to catch up with Todoroki. He watched with a raised brow as the purple-haired boy pull two of the balls on his head off in preparation to attack the other boy— only, he was slammed aside by a metal arm that appeared out of nowhere.

The real challenge had arrived in the form of the U.A. entrance exam robots.

"Ooh! Enemies have suddenly shown up outta nowhere!" Yamada exclaimed, "I bet we're in for a real treat here! A test of strength and cunning— It's a Robo-Inferno!"

"I wouldn't be so sure," Chiron said, shaking his head as Todoroki flash froze one of the Zero-Pointers. He continued on through in silence before they all crashed down.

"That's Todoroki from Class 1-A, everyone," the archer continued, "Living up to the class' standard by taking the lead without a second thought."

Yamada lept from his seat, slamming his hands down on the table in front of the soundboard. "Amazing!" he cried, "He's one we should watch! It almost seems unfair! Thoughts, Archer?"

"Oh, how rude, have you forgotten about some of the others, Present Mic?" Chiron laughed, "though his attack was both offensive and defensive, I am impressed."

"Impressive! No wonder he was let in on recommendations!" Yamada continued, making a wide gesture with his arms. "He's never even fought those Robo-Infernos before!"

"That may be sure, but neither has Charlemagne," he pointed out as a pink streak broke through the smoke and dust that the robots had created. The rider vaulting over the rubble before he took off running after Todoroki, lance glinting in the sunlight.

"Mm, Mm!" Yamada nodded, arms crossed as he sat back down. "That's France's Transfer Student all right! Already in second place, we have Charlemagne from Class 1-A as well!"

"With all the power of the twelve paladins in the story where the surname hails from, Charlemagne just might give Todoroki a challenge he didn't think of before," Chiron added with a smile.

"Thaaat's just France for ya, though," Yamada said with a nod. "Always the wildcard."

Chiron just smiled at that, though his brows furrowed upwards just slightly as he chuckled. "I don't think that's correct, but I'll let you have this one."

"Wild!"

(x)

"To those just joining us, the first Sports Festival event for the First Years is underway," Chiron said as he watched the students take down the Zero Pointers left and right. Yamada nodded, making a motion akin to scratching an invisible record disk.

"The first round's an obstacle course!" he said, giving a thumbs up with his other hand. "And the goal is the run one lap around this specially made stadium's outer ring, oh yeah!"

Chiron chuckled as he hummed, shifting a few papers. "The rules are simple, yet quite savage at the same time," he told the audience, "In short, this is a race where anything goes and everything— save leaving the course— is permitted. Even the camera bots in each area are excited."

He smiled as Yamada excitedly announced the second obstacle, a large canyon with ropes connecting platforms. Maijima— or Powerloader, to the students—had ended up doing a fantastic job creating the obstacle, though Chiron had been worried when he was watching the younger man work on it. There had been a lot of crashing and he had been worried that the man would be crushed. But that worry had been dissipated when the man had come out unharmed and asking for something to eat.

That had been the start of a slight tradition among the rest of the staff and Chiron, seeing how Maijima had sung praises over the centaur's cooking. The rest of the staff had ended up joining him and Maijima the rest of the prep days leading up to the Sports Festival for lunch. Astolfo had teased him about being less of a "Teach-taur and more of a Mama-taur" (The Rider's words, not his) and making lunches for everyone.

He supposed the pink-haired boy way right, as Chiron had ended up memorizing the likes and dislikes and dietary needs of each of his coworkers— For example, Yagi couldn't eat anything super-rich or heavy, nor could he have anything with a high acid content due to the medicine that Chiron had made him for his condition while Thirteen preferred the more fruity and sweeter foods. Snipe liked a bit of spice, but Kayama was more or less of a wild card.

"Bakugou, Todoroki, and Charlemange are quite adept and quick at getting through these obstacles," Chiron noted as Yamada nodded. "But we can't ignore that Hatsume from the Support Class and 1-A's Iida are also quite outstanding," he added as Iida used his quirk to cross the ropes— though he did look a bit silly with his arms out like that. Chiron had to smile at the boy's exclamation about his brother.

The youngest Iida had a lot to live up to, but that didn't seem to be stopping him at all.

Chiron only hoped that it wouldn't hold him back in the end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So scratching, for all of my non-DJs out there, is when the DJ essentially 'rubs' the records or disks. Its Mic's sorta signature gesture when he's not doing that weird wiggle with his arms (y'all know what I mean)


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It is I, with Chapter 12.
> 
> As usual, there are comments on FFN I answered over there, so go check 'em out if you want to

Chiron had allowed Yamada to take over for the Calvary battle's commentary with a few comments on his part. Astolfo had ended up dropping back during the minefield stage, which let Todoroki, Bakugou, and Midoriya take first, second and third places.

It wasn't that Chiron had nothing to add, but rather because at the very beginning of the Calvary Battle when Kayama was explaining everything, papers had been sent to him via a familiar. Of course, Yamada had been startled out of his mind when a flaming bird appeared with papers rolled up in its talons before vanishing in a plume of flame. It hadn't been on the monitor, thank the gods, and Yamada had managed not to yelp.

It was a report from the Church overseer and the others who worked under them.

Astolfo had flown over to Fuyuki the weekend prior to talk to the overseer. The Church knew about them, though many mages ignored the existence of two Servants who were leftover from a Grail war over a hundred years ago. Unless they could be controlled (they couldn't and Clocktower learned the hard way that trying to control them was a bad idea), Mages didn't care about them until it was convenient. And it was never convenient. At least it gave the two of them leeway and their respective birth nations' governments were more than happy to get them going in the world after the war in Trifas. Yggdmillennia had also done a fantastic job in assisting the two for a long time.

That said, neither Chiron nor Astolfo normally went to go check up on the Grail Wars, since they normally didn't interact with Mages and another magical folk unless it was necessary. Chiron had become wary, though, with the League of Villains on the rise— and All for One as another possibility. Both Servants wanted to keep tabs on any strange going ons for the duration of the war, even if it was just an abnormal Servant or early dropouts in the war.

The church only reported two abnormalities this time, though. One was a strange, yet immensely powerful Assassin that had been summoned in the war this time. They were hesitant but titled it as the Grand Assassin— an Assassin above the normal Servant class. They wrote about armor as dark as night yet also stained with blood and about blue flames.

The other abnormality was that a secondary assassin had appeared, meaning that there were eight Servants but only seven masters from what they could tell. No Ruler had appeared either, which made Chiron wonder if the Grail was sending a message to him instead. According to the Church, the second Assassin had a strange signature— something more akin to an Assassin class covering up that of a Lancer's.

On top of that, the Grail War was going by far more cautiously from the others. The War had started a couple days ago but the only important fight had been a clash between the Grand Assassin and a duel wielding Saber. It had ended in a draw and Saber and the Master vanished into the night. There had been smaller clashes had, but nothing major and property damaging like the Saber and Grand Assassin fight.

The masters were being cautious to avoid heroes and villains alike. It seemed as if the Church and Mages Association had put out a notice to anyone who studied magecraft and magic to be careful about Quirk users.

Chiron only hoped the masters and Servants staid off of All for One's radar.

He didn't want to think about if All for One stripped and transferred a magus' circuits to himself. Quirks and Magecraft didn't work against each other, there were just laws between the two communities— those with circuits had to choose hero or magus. Or mundane. Magus couldn't be heroes or use their Quirk unless it had to do with their craft and a Hero couldn't use magic if they wanted to stay a hero. Obviously there were exceptions, especially in a "do or die" situation.

Many heroes and quirk users didn't even realize they had magic circuits— he could think of three in the school who had powerful, yet dormant circuits. There were six others whose circuits would be comparable to a first-generation magus and one whose circuits he was actively working on strengthening— laws be damned.

Chiron sighed, setting the papers down as Yamada nudged him. "Hey, paperhorse," he said, "Lunchtime! Let's go!"

(x)

Chiron had shed the human form as soon as they were off the stands, stretching his legs with a relieved sigh before waving to a few children as he and Yamada passed them.

"Dude, I would not give anything to be a horse," Yamada chuckled as the two walked towards the rest of the teachers. "Seems so cramped and uncomfortable. I mean, how do you do stairs and stuff man?"

"With practice and also I've been around for a long time," Chiron laughed, raising a hand to the other teachers.

"What's up, Archer?" Maijima greeted, grinning as they joined them. Aizawa was looking a bit more awake, or as awake as a sleep-deprived, bandaged man could look.

"I feel like my voice is a bit shot," He admitted with a slight laugh as they headed down to the stands.

"It tends to happen," Nezu hummed as he climbed up onto his back from where he had been perched on Kan's shoulder.

Chiron nodded, slowing his gait for the mammalian principal to get settled. "I suppose that announcing and teaching are two different things, after all."

"There should be a few tea stands for that," Yagi mused, "People are screaming and cheering here."

"Tea or no tea, I'm planning on gaining ten kilograms by the time the festival is over," Ectoplasm said, coat fluttering lightly as the group walked.

Chiron tilted his head. "That's oddly gleeful, coming from you," he commented with a slight laugh. The clone hero nodded, seeming to be much more enthusiastic than the Archer had ever seen him before.

"Heads up, y'all," Snipe said, glancing back, "We got the press and fans!"

Sure enough, a crowd of media producers and fans were waiting for them.

"Look! It's Blood King Vlad!"

"And Ectoplasm!"

"Oh my gosh! Midnight!"

"Present Mic's as cool as ever!"

"Thirteen! Hi!"

"Please sign my jacket, Snipe!"

Yamada seemed to be more than excited to start handing out autographs and the like. Nezu pat Chiron's arm as they stood to the side with Yagi, letting the more well-known heroes get swamped with fans and interviewers.

"I'm glad that I have this form at least," Yagi said, coughing into his fist. "Normally, I'd like to be out there, but damn, I'm exhausted from last night."

"It's your own fault, Yagi," Chiron said, flicking his tail. "I told you not to push yourself, but you ignored my warning."

"Can't help it," the blonde argued. "Besides, it's not that large. I can handle it."

"Yagi, it's longer than your arm, you can't just 'handle it' without proper build-up," the Archer sighed. "You'll injure yourself, you did almost injure yourself last night."

"What in god's name did we just walk inta, you three?" Snipe asked as the teachers broke away from their fans and the mass media. "I didn' know you swung that way, Archer."

Chiron and Yagi both stopped, staring at the gunner with a look of bewildered confusion on their faces.

"Snipe, please remember that, while feelings fade after death, I did have a wife in the past," Chiron said, "While I'm not against loving a man or anyone in between or outside of gender constraints, I hardly understand why you're bringing this up."

Snipe made a confused noise, tilting his head a bit. "Broncco, were you or were you not just talkin' 'bout—"

He was cut off by Kayama, who shoved him aside. Her eyes gleamed and an excited flush was settled on her cheeks. "Snipe thinks you and Yagi are sl—"

"Enough out of both of you," Aizawa said, his scarf smacking both the cowboy and R18+ heroes. "What Yagi and Chiron do in their private life is their own."

Yagi choked, coughing blood.

Oh.

_Oh._

"Oh, dear…" Chiron sighed, "I suppose our words were a bit misleading, weren't they?"

He shook his head. "First of all, don't ever think along those lines when it comes to me, please. I'm ages old and will still be here when you've all returned to the earth."

"So dark and grim," Ishiyama rumbled and Chiron shrugged.

"So then what were you talking about, Chiron?" Thirteen asked. Chiron hummed.

"I'll tell you later, but it has to do with one of the weapons I was granted…" he told them as they started walking towards the food stands. Kayama and Snipe both seemed visibly disappointed, but let the topic drop.

"Anyways, lunch! Let's eat!" Yamada said, pumping the air with his fist. "Tea! Coffee! Smoothies! Drink! Fast food! Street food! **_Hell yeah!"_**

"So excitable," Chiron laughed and Nezu hummed in agreement, patting his side.

"That's what makes Present Mic, Present Mic."

Chiron was about to respond before he staggered, a sharp pain shooting through his head. His vision blurred and if it hadn't been for Ishiyama and Inui grabbing his arms and holding him steady he would have taken Nezu and poor Thirteen who was in front of him to the ground with him.

"Chiron—!"

"Archer!"

Chiron barely heard the others as his ears rang. Bile rose in his throat as he felt the origin of the first Servant enter the grail.

Like all Servants, Chiron was still connected to the Grail, no matter how immortal he was. He and Astolfo could still feel the death of another Servant, but this time he could feel the sheer wrongness of the death.

Something that wasn't a Servant or magical by any means or even mundane had killed a Servant. That meant either a Quirk had killed the Servant, or someone with a Quirk had.

His vision cleared and what felt like ages of blacking out was reversed to only seconds. He let out a shuddery breath, feeling his heartbeat return to normal.

"Are you alright, Chiron?" Nezu asked softly and he nodded.

"The first of the Servants just passed," he said, just as soft, making Nezu stiffen a bit. "But something's wrong…"

He stood back up to his full height, thanking Ishiyama and Inui. "Thank you, I'm alright…"

Inui seemed unsure, most likely sensing his unease far better than the others, but he and Ishiyama released his arms. Nezu slid off his back, dusting his suit off.

"Do you need to go and check the war out?" the principal asked. Chiron nodded.

"I should…" he said, "Yes… I'll get going now… ah, but Astolfo…" he ran a hand through his hair.

Aizawa grunted. "Take him, the boy chose not to continue to the final fights anyway, so he'd just be sitting and watching," he told him and the Archer nodded again.

"Thank you."

"Mm. I guess that just means I'm taking over for the co-hosting," the Erasure hero sighed before the heroes turned, hearing someone run over to them.

"Ch- Phi- ARCHER!" Astolfo cried, skidding to a halt near them, panting.

"Just in time," Nezu said as Chiron placed a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Yes, no need to explain, Astolfo," Chiron told the Rider and he nodded before Chiron pulled him onto his back. "Let's go."

"Be safe you two," Yagi said, looking concerned still. Astolfo and Chiron both nodded.

"Right! To Fuyuki!" The Rider said as the two took off.

The U.A. Staff watched them leave for a moment before Yagi turned to Nezu.

"Do you think they'll be fine?" he asked and the mammalian principal hummed.

"We can only hope. But something tells me this won't be the first time the two will need to rush off," he said, tail flicking a bit. "Dark clouds are approaching on both sides, this goes without saying, but during Internships, I ask that all of us staff take some time to train, on our own and together."

"I'd rather not be forced to try and take the brunt of one of All Might's punches, but whatever you say, Nezu," Inui sighed, making Ectoplasm snort.

"I'm the least of your worries," Yagi said, "It's Chiron that you need to watch out for."

"His _Pankration_ looks like it hits like a goddamn truck," Aizawa agreed, nodding. "And he's a medical genius, he'll hit you where it'll hurt the most."

"Think we could invite Endeavor so he could kick some sense into him?" Thirteen asked, sounding genuinely curious instead of snide like the comment would have suggested.

Kayama burst out laughing, which caused several others to start as well. Nezu, on the other hand, was still watching in the direction that Chiron and Astolfo had left in.

_'Dark times indeed… I hope for the best out there for you all…'_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ryo is Ryo Inui, aka Hound Dog. He doesn't show up for a long time in the anime ( I think he only recently showed up in season 4, but I could be wrong again) and he's briefly seen in the manga (maybe the anime too, but I'm not sure) when the staff appears at the USJ. He, Chiron, and Nezu are all Animal Friends. Gang Orca can join them later.
> 
> edit: I'm trying to keep consistency now that Chiron knows everyone by their last names (save Snipe, Ecto, and Thirteen, whose names are unknown), so I changed Powerloader to Maijima. And also fixed Ryo's name.
> 
> Any thoughts on Chiron killing AfO? Leave 'em below!


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I burned my tongue on soup.
> 
> Anyways, it is I! The Penguin! I return with Chapter 13! Just so it's clear, there is not any romance with Chiron, Astolfo, or anyone that's outside of canon or implied canon. If it's implied canon, then it won't be glaringly obvious. Canon relationships only. For the most part. There is one that's not as implied but they do get a whole episode in the anime. You'll find out who later on, like probably in the second, main installment of this series. Anyways, it might be another five or so days, maybe a week before the next chapter goes up since I'm getting busier with college work.
> 
> That said, I do have another question regarding this. Would you like the Two Heroes movie to be a separate book or would you like it to be within Sagittarius? I'm leaning towards separate, at least on ao3 but what do you guys think?

"So you're saying that your servant was Archer, Tomoe Gozen, and you were both attacked this afternoon after a fight against Rider?" Chiron started and the young man in front of him nodded.

The church overseer was sitting in the pew behind them as Chiron questioned the now-former Master of Archer. He and Astolfo made it to Fuyuki in a few hours, meeting the overseer and the former master as soon as they arrived. The injury that the young man had sustained wasn't pretty, as his hand with the command seals had been cut off. It was a clean-cut, but that wouldn't have mattered at all— no matter how clean an amputation was, it would still hurt and the marks that granted him the ability to summon a Servant and hold a Contract were gone.

"Yes," the young man said after he nodded. "We had been attacked by Rider and her master in an abandoned lot... she's the one who cut my hand off, but then they fled after that. They didn't even fight Archer…"

He rubbed his arm as Chiron frowned.

"A berserker appeared, or at least, I thought it was a berserker. I was confused because we knew that the Berserker was a child in this war…and this guy didn't look like the blonde kid we met the other night," the young man continued, "I mean, he was definitely an adult, at least, I think they were a man. Masculine sounding. There was a hood over his face and a mask of some sort, so I dunno... I had told him that he shouldn't be at that lot since you know, I didn't know if Rider was planning on coming back or not. But he didn't, and then, some sort of arrow from his head... and Archer— before we knew it. I… I couldn't do a thing… he moved so quickly and killed Archer without hesitation…"

Chiron glanced to Astolfo, who frowned.

"Sounds to me like you ran into a Quirk user…" Astolfo said. "Any idea who, Archer?"

Chiron shook his head. "I have speculation but… nothing concrete." he stood, brushing his tunic off.

"Father," he turned to the church overseer. "Keep this young man safe, if anyone who doesn't feel like a mage or a mundane comes through the door, use your Black Keys no matter what."

"Right," the man said, nodding as he and Astolfo headed out of the church.

(x)

At first, when the former master had told them that Tomoe Gozen had been attacked by a man, Chiron had feared the worst. But with all the other details, he was at a loss at who the killer could be. Both he and Astolfo had gone to the abandoned lot but found nothing that could be a clue. They had moved to the harbor afterward.

**"You're certain that a Servant, the Archer, was killed by a Quirk user?"** Nezu asked as he and Astolfo stood on one of the shipping containers at the port of Fuyuki. Night had broken and he could feel the last bounded fields being set up in areas of designated combat for the Grail War. The other masters and servants had been informed by the Church of him and Astolfo— neither of them wanted to interfere with the Grail War and by letting the Masters know, they'd be spared from any surprise attacks. The Masters and Church members, along with any local mages, were also aware of the recent killing of a Servant and all precautions were being taken.

"Yes," Chiron said as he gazed around. "I had some thoughts, but when we talked to the young man the Archer belonged too all the details pointed to someone with a Quirk. To be honest, I had thought it was Shigaraki at first, but the detail about the arrow from the head? That's certainly not his Quirk. No we're dealing with someone else who was just going around killing. I can only assume that they must have thought that Archer and her Master were local Fuyuki heroes. That said, I don't know why the killer was here, but all the Masters and other Mages in the area setting up bounded fields. If the killer sticks around, then he'll find himself killed the Magus way if he threatens more Servants. He should count himself lucky that Archer's master was no first-rate magus."

Nezu was quiet for a moment.

**"I suppose… But it wasn't Stain, at least. If it had been, then there would have been a problem!"** the High-Spec Quirk user said and Chiron could feel a headache coming on.

"Stain attacked someone on Honshu already, didn't he?" he asked and Nezu hummed.

**"Yes. Pro Hero Ingenium— Iida Tensei. Iida Tenya's older brother."**

"Damn," Astolfo sighed, having been listening in. "That's a big problem."

**"Indeed. The boy left the festival early to go check on him in Hosu."**

"I see..." Chiron sighed, "I hope that he's alright... I'll head to Hosu when we return to see if there's anything I can do."

**"You and me both, Chiron. And I'm sure Iida would appreciate that,"** Nezu sighed. **"Please keep in touch if anything else pops up."**

Chiron sighed as well. "I actually do have something that came up."

**"Oh?"**

He nodded. "Yes. A secondary Assassin was summoned through the Grail's power but without a master. She told us that not just the Greater Grail, but Gaia and Ayala— the World itself— summoned her to assist us. Or rather me. Astolfo's just freeloading until his Master returns from the Reverse side of the World."

**"Sounds like you've already made contact with her,"** Nezu noted with an amused hum.

"You've caught me," he laughed a bit as the sound of someone landing nearby caught his attention. "We have. She'll be coming back with us, if that's not a problem."

**"I don't see any issues, will she be joining 1-A as well then?"**

"My instincts say yes, ahh… but that will get complicated for you, won't it, Nezu?" he asked.

**"Normally, yes, but as long as you inform the Embassy what's going on there shouldn't be. Of course, they'll be mad about a magus taking both paths, but from what you've told me, they'll have to adjust."** Nezu told him with a slight laugh. **"I'll make sure to inform Aizawa. Is the Assassin here with you?"**

"Yes actually," he said, glancing over to the newcomer, who Astolfo was chatting with. The Assassin had a small bag she had collected and was trying to keep away from the boy. A golden birdcage could just be seen under her cloak and was glinting in the harbor light. A cube made of silver, blue, and gold metals inside of it.

**"Oh wonderful! I would like to speak to her, if possible! Just to get a grasp on the situation?"**

"Of course." Chiron turned towards the two other servants. "Gray? Can you come here for a moment?" The Assassin turned, towards him with a quizzical look. Her face was mostly obscured by a hood, but her features were undeniably similar to the Saber of Red's own. She moved over to him and the Archer handed her the cellphone, letting her talk to the mammalian principal.

Astolfo walked over to him, footsteps echoing on the metal of the shipping container the three of them were standing on top of.

"So he doesn't have any ideas either?" he asked and Chiron sighed.

"No. We know for certain that it wasn't the League or at least no anyone we know of— so that marks Kurogiri and Shigaraki off. It's not Stain either," he said, "Nezu said that Iida's brother was attacked not too soon after we had left. Logically, there's no way that Stain could make it from Kyushu to Honshu in such a short amount of time. Considering the way that Archer died, it wasn't Stain for sure. There's a chance that it could be the Caster or Assassin— a hood and a mask match the Grand Assassin, but I highly doubt that he's the one who did it. Whoever it was used a Quirk."

Astolfo nodded as Chiron glanced towards Gray. "But, I feel a bit more confident that we have Gray with us, no matter how abnormal her summoning was. She has a level head on her shoulders and if the Grail thinks we need a third Servant to help, then I'm more than happy to take her in."

The Rider grinned in response as Chiron turned back to him, his hands behind his head. "Yeah, because you're a mama-taur, Chiron. I'm surprised you haven't, like, adopted Thirteen or anyone else on staff."

The pink-haired boy yelped as the Archer cuffed him lightly over the head, chuckling softly.

Yes, somehow things would work out… he hoped so at least.

Archer's death was concerning, but countermeasures were being taken. He only hoped that the Servant killing was only a one-time thing on the Quirk users ends.

He'd hate to have to be called away to help cover up a murderer for the Church if the Von Einzburn representative went off the rails and killed the villain if they were attacked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone didn't recognize who killed Tomoe, no sweat. It's not overly important now, but will possibly have meaning later on. Probably in book two. If you've seen the new BNHA season, he might ring a bell (eheheh) 
> 
> For those who don't know, Honshu is the main island and Kyushu is the third-largest island of Japan. According to Fate/Grand Order, that's where Fuyuki is. Since Fuyuki is a made-up place, I just went with that.
> 
> Yes, there is an Einzburn in this Grail War, no it's not important since its hundreds of years later. 
> 
> Remember, this is the Apocrypha timeline, though with a bit of the Casefiles line blended in. Illya probably doesn't exist. As for Casefiles, that timeline happened in the Zero and Stay Night timelines, but for the sake of that canon, I'm gonna say that Sisigou didn't die but Mordred did and the events of the Rail Zepplin happened post-Apocrypha. It won't be majorly important, just a comment or two Astolfo or Gray make. Also, that would really fuck up the Casefiles timeline if Sisigou was dead. Waver would also probably be dead then.
> 
> Oh bonus, even though it doesn't matter for the most part— the roster for the Grail War in this story is as follows:
> 
> Saber- Musashi Miyamoto (one of my favorite Sabers. Uh, she might appear again in passing)
> 
> Archer- Tomoe Gozen (big Yikes, I'm sorry Tomoe )
> 
> Lancer- Hector (he's a tired old man )
> 
> Caster- Mephistophocles (spooky clown)
> 
> Rider- Boudicca (It was her or Ushiwakamaru, but there were already three other Japanese servants)
> 
> Assassin- Hassan-i-Sabbah (the first! Big surprise. Grand Assassin Grandpa. Also another big yikes, but at the other servants. At least Musashi and Hassan duked it out and it was property damaging!)
> 
> Berserker- Ibaraki (I chose a Berserker out of a hat and it was her)
> 
> Bonus Assassin- Gray (The third servant in the party)
> 
> Obviously, this doesn't matter too, too much, since this is the only real interaction with the war the two will have, now that the BNHA story is starting to pick up. The Stain Arc will be keeping them busy, not to mention the finals, which will be fun.
> 
> and of course, we now have our third Servant! It's Gray! I wanted someone who wasn't a traditional Servant and actually bounced between having it be Musashi, Hassan, or even Mashu or Zhuge Liang (Waver Velvet) but settled on Gray. For reference sake, the design I prefer for Gray is the Casefiles Gray and not FGO Gray. I dig Gray's skirt and jacket instead of the sweater dress. She's cute either way, but when I mention her battle attire think Casefiles instead of FGO.
> 
> Actually, a fun fact, my original plan was for Gray, Hassan, Li, and Musashi break off from the Grail War and just hang with Chiron, but then scrapped that idea. I might have a bonus chapter on the Grail War and its ending, but that won't be until waaay later if I do.
> 
> Anyways, the same thing as usual: AFO vs Chiron opinions? Leave 'em in the comments/reviews!
> 
> If you haven't watched the Fake Anime Opening and want to, it's on my Youtube Channel ( xPenguinLordx ) or you can look up "My Hero: Sagittarius" and it should be near the top. The one with the Apocrypha opening card.
> 
> Love all of y'all, so until next time~


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Stain arc Officially begins here. I did actually have a chapter that skipped over everything and just had Chiron at UA the entire time but then decided that was stupid and I wanted someone in on the action too. 
> 
> This is the last chapter that I'll be taking notes for the AfO fight, so tell me if you think Chiron should kill AfO or should he let him go free? When that chapter does come out, I'll probably go back and answer every comment on the matter there and explain my reasoning for choosing which path I took.
> 
> Any comments, put em below!
> 
> Do you guys want the first BNHA Movie to be a separate installment?

It was Nezu who requested it.

Chiron, Astolfo, and Gray in Hosu during the internship week, that is.

For servants, travel wasn't that hard. Chiron could cross the distance of the two islands from Kumamoto to Tokyo in a day and a half at a quick pace, and with Astolfo and Gray flying overhead on Hippogriff the three made decent time. Considering how he didn't have to bother with crossing an ocean or even going over bridges and through traffic, time was cut down even more. How he and Astolfo got to Fuyuki in hours rather than running (or flying) through the night, Chiron didn't know. He's just glad they did.

They had arrived the day before internships started, letting Astolfo at least submit a codename to the school (Rider was obvious) Gray meet the staff (Kayama and Thirteen had gushed over her) and meet with Nezu officially to fill out some papers. Of course, Aizawa had been less than excited to have another student transferring in, but quickly got over it when he realized how 'rational' and polite she was. He did not like, however, her companion— Add. Add cut from a different cloth than Gray was and seemed more like a cross between Bakugou, Sero, and Yamada (his words, not Chiron's).

Gray had decided to use the last name of her teacher (Velvet, the name rung a bell but he couldn't place where) to keep cover and her code name was submitted as 'The Grave Keeper'. Kayama had been less than happy about it but Gray was insistent about it. The R18 Hero eventually gave in and let her call herself as such. She was rewarded with a bright smile from the girl.

Still, as soon as that was all said and done, Nezu had ushered the three servants off to Hosu. The mammalian principal had expressed disappointment that the three couldn't join the rest of the staff in workshops and training (Chiron had noticed that Ryo looked a bit relieved and he wondered what horrors Aizawa had been telling him about Pankration), but he was also adamant about the three being in Hosu.

He didn't blame Nezu, though. Since that was where Stain would attack again. With Ingenium still alive, there was a chance that the hero killer could try to finish the job, not to mention the death quota that the man had for each city hadn't been met yet.

Speaking of the Turbo Hero, the first thing Chiron did when they arrived was stop by the hospital Iida's brother was in. That had been a trial in and of itself before Chiron had flashed his international license and then assured them that no, he was not Stain and he was not going to kill Iida Tensei.

The damage done to Iida Tensei was extensive, Chiron noted as he looked over the records before glancing to the man himself.

"Well," he said finally, "I can't say that it's not irreversible. I can at least help you get your legs moving a bit instead of you being paralyzed fully. You'll never be able to return to hero work, though."

The elder Iida brother only smiled grimly. "I know. I've already resigned myself to that…" he admitted and Chiron nodded.

"I see," he said, "In that case, you'll need extensive physical therapy, but I can get the severed nerve endings healed— if you'll let me. You'll most likely need to use a wheelchair for a while before you're fully comfortable with walking, and even then, you might need a crunch. Are you still okay with that?"

Tensei thought about it for a second before he nodded. "Please."

"Of course," he said with a smile. "Let's get to work."

(x)

While Chiron visited at the hospital, Astolfo found himself wandering around the city with Gray. She was a nice, but shy girl, and Add made a ruckus while they were walking but shut up when Gray shook his cage.

That had made a bit of a scene, but the sight of Pro Hero Native walking by made people forget about them quickly. It was funny how fast people's attention spans could change when something they cared about appeared. Pro Heroes, for example, snapped people's attention from two kids causing a scene to a hero out on patrol. Either way, Astolfo quite liked Hosu all things considered— it wasn't too small, nor was it too big.

It was nice, plus he could officially call himself Rider of Black again with the whole 'choosing your codename' business. Gray's name "Grave Keeper" would certainly get some attention, but she said she wasn't planning on being here for too long. A bit dreary, but he supposed he could work on making her brighten up! Ah, but that wasn't the main thing he was supposed to be focusing on.

They were tracking the Hero Killer.

Not only for Nezu's benefit but also because Chiron was a caring and worried man. He had gone right to the hospital to see the elder Iida brother, after all. He was most likely going to be using Magecraft to heal him, or at least work out a therapy routine to make sure the man could walk again. Not only that, but Chron was worried about the younger Iida as well.

The both of them knew that the sooner the Hero Killer was caught, the less likely that Iida Tenya would do something reckless and probably illegal. Like go after the Hero Killer and kill him. Typical revenge stuff.

"So what exactly do you know about the Greater Evil you and Chiron are chasing?" He asked Gray as the two of them walked through Hosu. Both were dressed in their Servant Battle Attire and had drawn some odd looks (aside from when Add had been being a pest) because of that. Two Heroes in Training but no Pro Hero with them was a bit more than odd.

"Not much more than Chiron does," Gray admitted, "Chiron said that he has a feeling that All for One is going to only be the first part of an even Greater Evil, and I'm inclined to agree with him. I'll probably vanish after All for One's gone, though. That's the only reason I'm here, to help Chiron deal with that evil. I just hope that there will be enough help for the other part..."

Astolfo nodded slowly as he mulled over her words, the two of them lapsing into silence again. He glanced around before he blinked, seeing a familiar, armor-clad figure walking across the street.

"Gray, wanna meet one of our classmates?" He asked, grinning and grabbing her hand. He pulled her across the street before she could respond and she startled but followed him as he ran across the crosswalk.

"Iida!" He called, waving to the armor-clad teen. Both Iida and the hero next to him stopped walking, turning towards the battle clad Rider and the Assassin behind him.

"Charlemagne- what are you doing here?" Iida asked, a bit startled and Astolfo rubbed the back of his head, laughing a bit.

"Aww, I told you guys to call me Astolfo! To answer you, though, Sensei and I are doing some work up here, but he's in the middle of something so I'm hanging out around the city," he told him. The blue-clad hero next to him tilted his head.

"Friends of yours, Iida?" He asked and Iida shifted a bit, nodding slowly.

"One of them is, I don't know the other one."

Astolfo held his hand out. "Hiya! I'm Astolfo Charlemagne! This is Gray Velvet. I'm interning under the Greek hero Archer of Black. Gray here… well it's complicated."

"Pleased to meet you," Gray said politely as she bowed a bit. Iida gazed at Gray for a bit longer as the hero took Astolfo's hand, shaking it.

"Nice to meet you too, Miss Charlemagne, Miss Velvet. I'm Pro Hero Manual. I've never heard of Archer of Black, though you did say he was Greek," the blue-clad hero said with a smile before dropping his hand.

Astolfo nodded, humming as he dusted his skirt off absent-mindedly. "Yup. Us three are the international bunch at UA."

"'Three'?" Iida questioned and Astolfo nodded.

"Yeah, Gray's coming too. She's from the UK like my dad and since they don't really know how to deal with her Quirk, her guardian contacted my dad who got in contact with Sensei," he lied smoothly, Gray simply nodding along. Iida seemed to think for a moment before he nodded as well, understanding the implications behind his words. Another 'Servant Quirk'.

"Welcome then… Velvet, was it? Iida Tenya, pleased to meet you." He said, holding his hand out. She shook it slightly.

"Pleased to meet you too. You can call me Gray if you'd like. Most people did back home..." she said softly. "And this is Add." She added as the mechanical Cube shifted.

"He's part of my quirk, though more or less full support."

"And he's a bit of a brat!" Astolfo said.

**"Watch it punk!"** Add snapped, startling the two heroes. Gray sighed before she shook the cage, making the Mystic Code screech as he was rattled around.

"Ignore him," she said with a slight smile as she stopped shaking the cage. "We shouldn't keep you and Mister Manual from your patrol though."

"Oh right!" Astolfo said, nodding. "We should get back to Sensei anyways. He should be done with his errand."

The two bowed a bit to Manual and Iida.

"Sorry for bothering you," Gray said. Astolfo grinned a bit.

"Be safe you two!" He added before he grasped Gray's hand and ran back across the street. He pulled her in the direction of the Hosu hospital, humming.

"Iida's gonna do something stupid, so we need to tell Chiron," he told Gray as they ran.

She blinked but nodded.

"Alright," she said, "I'll take your word for it. He does have the air of someone looking for revenge... I can only guess that the man Chiron's visiting in the hospital is his relative."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Iida meets Chiron and Iida meets Gray. How many times can I write Iida, you ask? Well my computer's spell check now recognizes Iida as a real word. Still no dice on Astolfo, though so that's fun. Add is a bit more difficult for me to write than Gray, but in a lot of cases he's not gonna speak up unless he needs to or is antagonizing someone because that's what Add does. Do you guys like Gray? I love her. Before she was settled on as part of this story, Gray was going to be Bunyan or Shiki but I realized I can't write either of them at all (sad hours). Manual also thinks Astolfo is a girl, but that's nothing new.
> 
> Also there were some formatting errors I went back and fixed because I noticed them while looking through the docs for something. I also noticed some inconsistencies with Ryo's name (his last name is actually Inui) that were fixed.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Someone on FFN said they wanted chaos, so...
> 
> Anyways, I'm probably gonna start scheduling posts, so every Friday or Saturday there will be one and you'll be getting two chapters this week.
> 
> This chapter and the next will be a bit longer (Upwards 4,000 words, I try and keep the chapters at least at 1K because I personally don't like reading fanfic where the chapters are as long as college essays). It longest chapter we have I think is the next one with 6k. Anyways! Stain! Stain! Stain!

Explosions shaking the ground were the first and only clue that Chiron needed to realize there was something wrong in Hosu.

Astolfo had told him that he had seen Iida with Pro Hero Manual on the streets, and knowing what had happened to Tensei, there was no doubt that there was something going on with the blue-haired boy. Chasing down the Hero Killer was a risk in and of itself, for a student to be doing it was stupid.

Chiron left the hospital as soon as the first tremor that shook the building subsided. He stopped in his tracks, eyes widening as the hulking creature in the street turned to him. Part of a car's hood was still clamped in its hands as the archer took in its appearance.

"Of course you'd be back," He uttered, leaping out of the way as the hood was thrown at him. With bulging eyes and an exposed brain, there was no doubt that this was another Nomu.

 _"Astolfo, Gray, I'm giving you permission to enter combat!"_ Chiron ordered through the telepathic link that connected the three servants.

_"Right!"_

_"Of course!"_

Both of the other Servants responded almost immediately and he felt a burst of magical energy. No doubt that Astolfo had summoned Hippogriff and the two were already entering combat.

Chiron dodged another hit from the Nomu, materializing his bow and firing at the Nomu's exposed brain. The nomu bat his arrows to the side before lunging at him with a roar. He dropped his bow, smacking the outstretched hand with his full strength— throwing the nomu off balance. He kicked its legs out from under it before slamming his palm into its chest as it toppled over. The force from the hit sent the nomu flying, but it lumbered back to its feet mere seconds after crashing to the asphalt.

"Get down!" A voice barked from behind him and the Servant dove to the ground as a blaze of flame coursed overhead. He turned after he rolled back onto his feet, seeing the hulking form of the number two hero.

"I don't recognize you," the man said, eyes narrowed as he looked at the street. A second nomu was lumbering over as the first rose back to its feet with a screech.

Chiron stood, cracking his neck before he shifted into his usual Pankration stance. "I think that can wait for now," he said and the other man grunted, readying his flames.

"Fine," the Flame Hero said, "Just try and keep up with me."

"I think it's the other way around," He said before he leaped forwards, planting his foot into the nomu's chest and sending it flying back. Endeavor sneered.

"We'll see, don't underestimate me, newcomer!"

(x)

"Gray!" Astolfo yelled as he grabbed the outstretched hand of the gray-haired girl. As soon as the explosions started, he and Gray had started getting citizens moving and to what they hoped was a safer area. When Chiron had given them permission to fight, Astolfo instantly had his lance in one hand and summoned Hippogriff to him, Gray with Add in his Grim Reaper Scythe form.

A nomu had appeared and instantly started targeting citizens. There was no way in hell Astolfo would allow that!

 **"Gihihihi!! Let's eat, let's eat, let's eat!"** Add cheered as Gray swung up and onto Hippogriff.

"That nomu's not human right?" Gray asked and Astolfo nodded.

"Not anymore. You've got the ability to sense if it's alive or not, right? Go for it, I say!" the Rider said and Gray nodded, leaping off of the winged beast. Add glowed before transforming into a scythe.

"Right! Go make sure the citizens are alright, Rider!" She called over her shoulder. Astolfo nodded before he took off, hearing Gray and the Nomu clash behind him.

He didn't get very far away before something slammed into him and Hippogriff. Astolfo was knocked off of the winged beast, the familiar screeching as its master fell before it vanished. He landed on a building, grimacing and rolling to his feet and readying his lance.

Just in time for a nomu to drop down in front of him.

"Okay, so looks like there's more than one of you," He said, shifting his footing. "So uncool to drop out of the air like that."

The nomu just twitched before rushing the rider. He dodged the first hit but was slammed aside by the second one. He rolled into his landing before crying out as a punch nailed him in the stomach.

"Agh!"

He flew back before he hit the back of the roof's rail guard. Astolfo grimaced, panting as the nomu tilted its body to the side, eyes staring at him in an unfocused manner.

It was fast, faster than he anticipated. This was bad. He was fast too, but this one caught him off guard. It was like fighting Mordred, but if Mordred was even more of a brute than she had been.

He took a breath before he steadied his breathing and focused. Just act on instinct. He could do this.

He ducked under a punch that was thrown at him, rolling under the Nomu's legs before he struck them with his lance. The nomu screeched, blood spattering the roof as Astolfo twisted. He slashed at its back as it regenerated and healed the first injury. It looked as if the paralysis wouldn't work on this thing.

He dodged another swipe at him before his ankle was grabbed. Astolfo yelped as he was pulled back and then yelped again as he was thrown towards the Hosu train tracks. He briefly caught a glimpse of the Nomu following him before he crashed through the train barrier, then the wall of the train.

The Rider spat blood as he landed. His ribs and leg hurt. His leg was probably popped out of its socket and ribs probably a bit bruised, if not cracked.

"Fuck- ooww…" he grunted as he sat up, grasping his lance again as the nomu landed, peering into the train.

"Astolfo!?" a voice cried and he turned, seeing Midoriya dressed in his hero costume standing next to an old man in what looked like a vintage hero costume— it was yellow and white with a yellow cape. Oh yeah. Definitely vintage.

He could only process that for a moment longer before the Nomu grabbed him by the head and slammed his face down.

The weight of the Nomu was suddenly lifted and Astolfo glanced up as the old man rocketed into the Nomu. The force from the kick was enough to send it and the old man flying. Midoriya rushed over and out of the train as Astolfo got up.

"Gran Torino!" The green-haired boy yelled before Astolfo grabbed him. The Rider ignored the voice of the conductor as he pulled Midoriya after him.

"Hang on, Mido!" he called as he leaped over the barrier. The boy's cries of surprise were cut off as Hippogriff appeared under Astolfo. He pulled Midoriya on as the familiar took off.

"We have to find Iida! He's in Hosu and even if he's with another hero he's gonna do something stupid if Manual's preoccupied!" He called over the wind.

Midoriya nodded. "He's probably going to go after the Hero Killer or something!" He called up and Astolfo nodded a bit in agreement. Fires and explosions were going all over the city. He could feel Chiron to the east, Gray still where he had left her, though she seemed to be fighting another nomu. Chiron was fighting as well, he could feel the bursts of prana that the Archer was giving out as he created arrows to fire.

"Wh-What happened here, Astolfo?" Midoriya asked as they flew over the city.

"No idea," he said, shaking his head. "All I know is that there are nomu around. Chiron-Sensei's here too, he's an international hero, so he has the authority to instate me and the other one with me into legal combat. She's already taken care of one, I think, and Chiron's probably got another one covered too."

"Another student's with you?" the boy asked, "I didn't know that Archer-sensei had an agency."

"He doesn't!" Astolfo responded, swinging his lance and slashing at a nomu on the roof as he flew by. It screeched, swiping at them, but was distracted as golden arrows pierced it— Chiron sniping at it from where ever he was. The Greek servant was terrifyingly good at sniping and multi-tasking.

"We found another one of us in the special classification, Gray Velvet, known as Grave Keeper but her legend is actually King Arthur," he continued, internally wincing at the lie. He felt bad lying to Midoriya.

"Whoa…" the green-haired boy breathed before startling. "Wait! Now's not the time to geek out over that! We need to find Iida!"

"I know, sorry!" Astolfo said, turning his eyes back to the city below. A flash of silver made him turn Hippogriff towards the direction it came from. "Found them!" he called before he startled as Midoriya leaped off of Hippogriff.

"W-wait-! What are you doing, Mido!" he cried, watching the boy drop to the ground.

"Saving Iida!" He called back before he landed, taking off into an alleyway.

"Idiot!" Astolfo uttered as he circled around above. Another nomu was nearby and he cracked Hippogriff's reins, flying past it and slashing it with his lance. It toppled to the ground, startling a few heroes below before they began to fight it. The Rider circled the area again, eyes drifting back to the alleyway before he groaned, running a hand through his hair.

Screw it.

He flew towards it before he leaped from Hippogriff's back. The beast vanished at his order as he hit the ground. He landed by Todoroki, who startled, but nodded when they locked eyes and started towards the alleyway. The white and red haired boy sparked before firing a jet of flame into the dark space, firing it over Iida who was collapsed on the ground. The flames forced a bandaged man to leap away from the engine quirk boy, sword glinting in the alleyway light.

"Sorry we're late!" Astolfo said, lance glinting as well.

"Todoroki!" Midoriya gasped, seemingly frozen where he stood. Astolfo grimaced. So he had been affected by Stain as well. That meant that instead of protecting just Iida, he also had to protect Midoriya and Todoroki. Three bodies to protect, no four. Native was laying on the ground nearby as well.

"You sent your location out en-masse to everyone in your contacts," Todoroki said, snapping Astolfo from his thoughts. "You're not normally the type, so it took me a few seconds to realize what it meant. Charlemagne must have realized it too, though. 'Call for back up, I'm in a pinch'!"

"Well, no Midoriya left me in the air, but it's close enough," Astolfo said under his breath, but adjusted his lance as Stain shifted. Todorki didn't give the man a chance, slamming his foot down and coating the alleyway in ice. He shot forward again with his flames and the ice tossed Midoriya, Iida, and Native behind Astolfo.

"Too bad though," The Rider sighed, his tone almost taunting as he shook his head. "If we make this much noise, the Pros will get here soon. Those nomu released around the city will get picked off one by one." He shifted his footing before he shot forwards, leaving Todoroki to protect the three behind them.

"Astolfo! Don't let him cut you! If he consumes your blood you'll be robbed of all movement!" Midoriya yelled and Astolfo grinned. Stain wasn't that special. He could paralyze someone too, after all.

"Right!" he called back with a nod, easily blocking a slash from the hero killer with his lance. He drew his sword with his other hand, blocking another strike before he kicked Stain back. Stain scowled, flinging a blade at Astolfo, who ducked under it before he leaped out of the way of another blast of flames. Stain did as well, but his scarf was singed.

 _"Chiron! Gray! I found the Hero Killer! Todoroki, Iida, and Midoriya are with me, but two of them can't move, Pro Hero Native too! I think I can handle the situation, stay alert!"_ He reported as he dodged another strike from Stain.

 _"Be careful! I'm a bit busy with crowd control since Endeavor doesn't know the word 'control' it seems,"_ Chiron responded as Astolfo spun out of the way of another strike.

He didn't get a verbal response from Gray but he felt it. She probably had simply nodded before she continued fighting. He was impressed, she was holding her own pretty well alone. Though then again, she wasn't aiming to capture any of them alive.

The hero killer flung a knife at Astolfo, who ducked out of the way again but a hiss of pain from behind him made him turn. The knife had torn into Todoroki's shoulder. In the same instant, Stain leaped over Astolfo, heading towards Todoroki. The boy blocked a slash with a burst of ice but did get his face licked by the hero killer, which was a bit gross, but luckily the boy had burst into flames to keep his blood from the Hero Killer's grasp. Or tongue? He didn't get his blood licked.

He really should stop trying to make sense of things with a full moon on the rise, the Rider realized before he slammed into Stain with his lance, sending the hero killer back.

"Why…" Iida grunted, gazing up at them from his spot on the ground, "Why… why… you three… please stop… I inherited my brother's name… I'm the one who has to do it!"

"You inherited your brother's name?" Astolfo asked as he shifted his footing, gazing at Stain as he got up and started towards them. "Must be nice… but still... if you're now Ingenium, then you must also now be a fake! Because Iida Tenya— the Ingenium I knew— would never make a face like that!"

He twisted, slashing the hero killer with his own sword.

"The Ingenium I knew wouldn't let himself become consumed with revenge!"

He tossed his lance to the side, slamming Stain in the face with another kick as the villain twisted out of the way of his sword. The rider hissed in pain as his katana tore into his arm, but he carried through, dropping his sword and grabbing the katana. He pulled, yanking it out of the hero killer's grasp.

He tossed the blade away from Stain, his eyes blazing.

"Those afar, listen to my words! Those nearby, look at my visage!" He yelled, drawing more mana from his reserves. The electrical wiring and lights in the alleyway started to spark and flicker on. Todoroki shifted his stance as Midoriya started to get to his feet. Iida forced himself up as well, grimacing as he overcame Stain's Quirk.

His battle attire changed as he picked his sword back up, ignoring the blood that dripped down his arm as he held it out in front of him. His armor melted away and changed into a top remnant of a butler's uniform and jacket. His cape doing the same and transforming into arm cuffs and gloves, black rabbit ears appearing as well as his boots became similar black and gold Mary Janes. His hair unbraided itself before separating into twin-tails.

"I am Astolfo! Son of King Otto and one of Charlemagne's Twelve Paladin Knights! A Servant brought back by the Holy Grail in order to fight!"

He lunged at the hero killer, clashing blades with him before he leaped away. The once Rider now Saber brought his sword back, swinging downwards and the blade separated into segments. They ripped through the two knives the man brought up to block the strike and Stain leaped away from the attack as Astolfo continued his offense. He swung his blade like a whip before he brought the segments back together, rushing Stain and slashing. He backed up faster than Stain could counter, his sword clanging against Stain's knives before the pink-haired boy leaped away from the Hero Killer, landing back in front of the three boys and Native— he, Midoriya, and Iida back up on their feet and ready to battle.

Astolfo didn't give them the chance as his sword glowed as Stain got to his feet as well. He held the blade relaxed, facing downwards.

 ** _"For the rabbit that looks up to the moon, there are times they lose their reason,"_** he chanted as Stain brandished his knife, charging at them. He kept his gaze and stance steady, even as he heard the crackling of Midoriya's quirk and felt the heat from Todoroki's. He pivoted on his foot suddenly, swinging his sword up and around him from behind. The blade split apart again and flew towards Stain.

 ** _"Catch the rampaging giant! The mettlesome match! Let's go! Vulcano Caligorante!"_** He cried as Stain got caught in the trap of blade segments, the blade seeming to move on its own as Astolfo rushed through them and past Stain. He jerked his hand up, the segments connecting at once. Stain, covered in wounds, turned as Astolfo landed. The Hero Killer rushed at him with a crazed look in his eyes and Astolfo only grinned, not bothering to bring his sword up to block. He didn't need to as Midoriya and Iida both appeared in his line of sight, slamming into Stain with an overpowered punch and a strong kick from each respectively.

As the Hero Killer was slammed to the ground, ice formed around him as Todoroki slammed his right foot onto the pavement. The Hero Killer was trapped.

There was a pause in time after Midoriya and Iida landed, silence falling over the alleyway. Astolfo dropped his sword, pitching forwards as he felt his consciousness waver. The class change to Saber had drained him of his energy.

An armored arm caught him and pulled him back to his feet.

"Careful there, Astolfo," Iida said and Astolfo's Saber form melted back to his normal, Rider attire.

"Are you alright?" Midoriya asked, walking over as Todoroki and Native tied up Stain tightly.

He nodded, standing with Iida's help. "Yeah… just a bit wobbly. Between Hippogriff and becoming a Saber… I really need to regain energy…"

He closed his eyes for a moment before he turned to Iida. "What you did was reckless. You're training to become a hero, right? Then you need to remember to stomp down those feelings of revenge and hate. Heroes can hate and burn with anger, but if you let your revenge get the best of you, you're no different than Stain." Iida's eyes widened before he looked down.

"You speak with a lot of experience."

"Because I've seen it happen, people let their anger get the better of them and they no longer can become a hero," he said softly, "They lived with that rage for so long, long enough to become the villain."

He gazed at the other three in the alleyway with them. "I want all of you to remember that too, even you, Mister Native."

The Pro Hero simply nodded, seemingly dumbfounded before Astolfo's legs finally gave out under him. Iida caught him again before hefting him up and putting him on his back.

"Chiron-sensei and Gray should be close. Most likely, that old guy too," he said. Midoriya perked and nodded as they walked out of the alleyway.

A shout made Astolfo look over and he blinked as he saw the old man from before turning around a corner. Gray was behind him, Add in his scythe form.

"What the hell are you doing here boy!?" The old man shouted.

"Astolfo!" Gray cried at the same time, her eyes laying on his limp form on Iida's back.

She ran across the street towards him, worry written across her face. She didn't blink as the old man rocketed past her and planted a foot in Midoriya's face.

"Is that the hero killer? Astolfo okay? What happened to him, he's exhausted!" She asked Iida.

"Astolfo's fine, he just used up more energy than expected—" Iida said before he was cut off by Todoroki's confused question.

"Wait, 'he'?"

Astolfo raised his head. "I thought it was obvious, I still used the guys' dressing room…" he said and the red and white haired boy only gave him a bewildered look. Midoriya wasn't that different, eyes wide and jaw hanging open in surprise. The old man leaped up and kicked the boy as Gray blinked before she giggled.

"I'm assuming you already guessed, then, Iida?" she asked. The bespectacled boy only shrugged a bit as Astolfo pat his head.

"I had a feeling, but it was not my place to ask," he said simply before serval other heroes came rushing over to them.

"Kids?"

"Call an ambulance, they've got awful wounds!"

"Hey is that the Hero Killer? He's so banged up!"

Astolfo rested his head down on Gray's shoulder after she took him from Iida, resting him on her back like the Engine Quirk user had. He sighed, feeling his consciousness slipping again. Even with the mana that Seig gave him over their bond, it wasn't really enough to sustain a and spontaneous full class change. He hadn't done it in a long time, so it was exhausting.

He really just wanted to nap.

Gray shot him a sympathetic look over her shoulder.

"The three of you," Iida said and Astolfo shifted, glancing at him as he bowed to him, Midoriya, and Todoroki. "You all sustained wounds because of me, I'm truly sorry. My anger… my rage… It made me so blind that I couldn't see anything…!

Midoriya was silent for a moment. "I'm sorry too, man," he said softly, "You were brooding so much, but I completely overlooked that even though we're friends."

"Pull yourself together, you're the class president," Todoroki added, making Iida straighten back up from his bow. At least Todoroki tried.

"Don't worry about it, Iida," Astolfo said, raising his head. "I've gotten worse injuries before."

"That's hardly reassuring, Astolfo," Gray told him and he laughed.

"Where's Sensei, Gray?" he asked and she sighed, shrugging a bit.

"He's still out there, last I heard he and Endeavor teamed up to take care of the remaining nomu," she told him, making Todoroki blink and look over. Astolfo nodded a bit.

"Thought so, I guess I'll have to tell him that our cover is blown," he sighed, "I had to change classes to protect these three kids and I don't think a quirk can keep that covered."

Gray shook her head. "No, probably not."

He shrugged a bit. "Well, they're not the first ones to know," he said with a hum. "There are a few other students who figured it out. I think only around six or seven haven't."

Gray nodded again, about to respond before the old man (Midiorya had called him Gran Torino) yelled at them all. "Duck!"

Faster than any of them could move, a winged nomu came out of nowhere, snatching Midoriya off the street.

"Midoriya!" Iida cried and Astolfo found himself on the ground.

Gray took off down the street, running up the wall of a building and leaping at the nomu, hand outstretched. She grasped at Midoriya's arm, but missed by a couple of inches, plummeting back down towards the ground. A red blur shot passed Astolfo as Gray landed on her feet. Stain had cut through his ropes, leaping up towards the Nomu with a blade that had been hidden on his person. He stabbed the Nomu in the exposed brain, forcing it to drop Midoriya. Gray caught him with one arm before he hit the ground, letting out a soft sigh as she set Add down next to her on the sidewalk.

"The fakes that have overrun society and the criminals who so aimlessly sprinkle around their 'power', those are the targets of my purge!" Stain snarled, driving his knife further into the Nomu's head. "This is all for the sake of the world!"

Astolfo hauled himself to his feet, summoning his lance with the last of his strength.

"Why are you all just standing around!" Endeavor roared as he rounded the corner. Astolfo didn't pay him and mind as Stain moved to Gray and Midoriya, gazing down at them.

"So that's the Hero Killer," Endeavor snarled and Astolfo glanced back, seeing him ready a blast of flame.

"Wait, Todoroki!" Gran Torino yelled and Endeavor stopped short as Stain turned, bandage falling from his face. The crazed look in his eyes was intensified by tenfold as his eyes fell to Endeavor.

A sudden burst of bloodlust made the Rider gasp softly.

"Another phony," Stain hissed, "The fake must be rectified…. someone…. someone must stain himself in blood!"

Stain took a step forwards and Astolfo felt Endeavor's heat shift back. Gran Torino, Iida, Todoroki, and the other heroes, had frozen in fear and he could tell that Midoriya and Gray were the same.

"The word "hero" must be restored," Stain continued, brandishing his knife as he took another step forward. "Just try it you pretend—!" Astolfo felt the bloodlust recede as an arrow flew through the air and embedded itself in Stain's shoulder.

Stain stumbled back, eyes wild before they stopped, gazing at the roof of a building. Astolfo followed his gaze and he felt himself relax, seeing Chiron perched on the roof with his bow raised, green eyes glowing.

Stain's jaw clenched before an insane cackle left him and he tossed his arms out to his sides, continuing to laugh. "Yes! Yes! Yes! I can feel it! The true heroism exuding from you!" he exclaimed and at once the wave of overwhelming bloodlust was back at full force. "So come at me, you fakers and you, Archer! Come! Only All Might and the Archer are worthy of killing me!"

Stain stopped moving suddenly, eyes rolling back into his head and the bloodlust receded. There was a beat of silence before Gray stood slowly, picking Add up and holding it in a defensive position.

"Hey, girl," Endeavor barked and Gray jumped but moved to inspect Stain. She turned back, nodding a bit.

"He's lost conciseness!" she confirmed and Endeavor nodded.

Astolfo let out a breath and he watched as Chiron leaped down from the building, walking over to them. Gray helped Midoriya to his feet.

Now the real hard part started— reports and questioning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who Astolfo mentions is specifically Akamusa. Amakusa was a hero, but his need for revenge— I mean the salvation of mankind drove him to uh, unspeakable things. This man did kill the other Masters of Red, after all.
> 
> Anywho, next chapter is longer, and has a lot of exposition so hooo boy. If you're here for the story, feel free to just skim over it, or whatever, it won't hurt my feelings. In later chapters, I'm just not gonna go into the whole explaining shit because that's a lot of repetition an s. On another note, thank you all for your input for AFO! The choice will be made when I finalize the chapter and stuff, but the draft is mostly done and im just refining it. If you haven't noticed, I have drafts and outlines mostly done and I do refine and change stuff like all writers do. Some of y'all's input has actually changed the story quite a bit, so ye!
> 
> Keep rockin', I'll see y'all later.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is heavy in exposition. Honestly, you don't have to read all of it when they start talking about classes and such. Chiron's just explaining how servants and grail wars work. Also, there's a lot of creative liberty. As I said before, I'm taking liberty with what was handed to me from Apoc and My Hero. If you've made it this far without realizing that I plan on kicking canon while it's down, I applaud you.
> 
> As usual, there are responses to notes in the FFN one, if you want to check those out, you can. Leave anything you want me to know below!

No matter how much he protested, Astolfo had been taken into custody with the rest of his classmates in Hosu. He, Iida, Todoroki, and Midoriya were all but held in detainment in the Hosu general hospital.

Of course, he had ended up passing out as soon as he had gotten bandaged up. His mana reserves were low and he needed all the rest he could get. It wasn't like he wasn't getting any from Sieg, it's just that he was out of practice. Shifting Classes was never easy and to have gone for as long as he had without doing it just made it harder.

That said, when Gran Torino, Manual, Chiron, and Tsuragamae arrived in his, Iida, Todoroki, and Midoriya's shared hospital room with Gray trailing not too far behind them, Astolfo ended up tuning out most of the chief's speech. He had heard the lecture about how unlicensed people shouldn't interfere with hero work many times before and Tsuragamae already knew his status as a Servant. As soon as they had arrived in Hosu, Chiron made sure of that.

Astolfo startled as Todoroki's sudden outburst finally reached his spaced-out mind.

"Saving people is what heroes do! It's their job!"

"Well, you're not wrong," Astolfo said as he sat up, making the people in the room all turn towards him. He had been silent the entire time, so he assumed that Manual and his three classmates just assumed he didn't have anything to say on the matter.

"Exactly," Todoroki started, getting over his shock. "Were we just supposed to let the Hero Killer kill Native?"

Astolfo yawned, stretching. "This is why you're not a full-fledged hero, yet, Todoroki."

He wiped his head around, shock apparent in his eyes as he gaped. "Wh-what- Charlemagne! You just said—"

"I told you, call me Astolfo," he sighed before he held his hand up. "First of all, you're children. You shouldn't be fighting the battles adults are. I admit that my words don't exactly match my actions, but I lost all rationality to the moon. Secondly, you really should let Chief Tsuragamae finish his speech."

Todoroki blinked, a look of cluelessness crossing his face. "What?"

Tsuragamae bowed a bit. "Thank you, Rider," he said with a smile before he scratched his chin. "But yes, everything I said would be what I would have to officially agree with… if the true story was put out to the public. At the end of the day, a public announcement that praised you four for taking the Hero Killer down would invite more praise and admiration from the masses, but that would also necessitate a punishment. Most likely, you'd be expelled from UA and a permanent mark would be put on your records, barring you from ever getting a license in Japan, or anywhere else for that matter. But if this were to become lost or fail to get to the public, then it could be concluded that the injuries the Hero Killer sustained were from Endeavor and Archer."

Chiron nodded, the Archer back in his human form but still dressed in his battle attire.

"The lacerations will be harder to cover up," Chiron added, "But arrow points are sharp. Many of his injuries can be attributed to that as long as people don't dig too far."

Tsuragamae nodded and Astolfo sighed. All that work would just get swept under, then. Oh well, he couldn't do much about that anyway, especially if Chiron was behind it as well. The Archer tended to know what he was doing.

"The number of witnesses was extremely limited," the chief of police said, "We can bury your violation like a bone in the yard, but that means that no one can ever know of your dogged decisions and fetching feats."

He gave them a thumbs up, his tongue hanging out as he gave them a grin of sorts. "Personally, I really don't want anybody barking at you!" he told them, "I don't want you youngsters to have any trouble down the road!"

"So what will it be?" Chiron added, arms clasped behind his back.

Manual rubbed the back of his head, sighing as the three boys glanced at each other.

"Either way you kids want to go, Mister Gran Torino and I will need to take responsibility for our negligence as supervisors. I don't know why Archer wasn't given any grief though," the man grumbled.

"It's because I'm International," Chiron hummed, patting the blue-clad man's shoulder. "And instead of letting my students run off, I gave explicit permission to enter combat if it were in self-defense."

"Um, looking for the Hero Killer isn't self-defense, Archer…" Manual sighed but Chiron just smiled.

"Well, I don't really care," Astolfo said after a moment, leaning back on his hands. "I didn't jump into battle for glory."

Iida nodded, moving over to Manual and bowing deeply. "I'm so sorry, I should've listened," he said before Manual smacked him lightly on the head.

"Yeah, you caused us a lot of trouble. Remember that, and don't do it again," he told him, smiling a bit. Midoriya and Todoroki also bowed, apologizing to the chief and Gran Torino. Gray tilted her head from behind all of the adults and Astolfo just shrugged a bit.

"I know it's not fair," Tsuragamae said, "you won't be able to claim any of the praise you would have received otherwise, but at least allow me, as the Chief of Police, to thank you." The chief bowed low towards them as he spoke and the Rider felt his lips turn upwards slightly.

"You know…" Todoroki grumbled, "You could've started with that…"

Astolfo chuckled before Tsuragamae stood back up. Manual sighed. "Well, as much as I hate to do it, I gotta go help with some clean up around here," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Be good, alright, Tenya?" Iida nodded.

"I will. I'm sorry, again. Thank you."

The blue-clad hero just smiled, waving as he moved past Chiron and Gray. "Don't sweat it."

As the door slid shut, Astolfo let out a breath. "Geeeez, no offense, Iida, but I didn't think he'd leave! Man, having anyone who's so chatty gives me an anxiety rush every time a serious conversation comes to light. See, Gran Torino is fine staying here, because you know, he's not likely to gossip and all that jazz, but still!"

Midoriya looked over to him with a look of confusion as Tsuragamae walked to the door, locking it. Gray moved over to Astolfo's bed, sitting down in the chair at the side.

"Um, what do you mean, Astolfo?" Midoriya asked, giving Gray a curious look. Add was still with her, and she set the cage with the Mystic Code on the floor.

"I just wanna get all this outta the way," he said, crossing his legs over each other as he brushed his bangs back. "I'm sure you three have questions. They should be answered while we explain."

All three boys' faces grew serious and they nodded. He glanced to Chiron, who sighed, but smiled and nodded.

"Very well," he said before his eyes grew serious. "From what I can assume, you three boys saw something that we would normally try not to show anyone who is on this side of the world."

"'This side… of the world'…?" Iida asked as Gran Torino, Chiron, and Tsuragamae all sat as well.

"Yes," Chiron said with a nod, "This world is often described as divided between those with Quirks and those without, but there is another side that the mundane world doesn't ever tell you— People with Circuits and those without. Going even farther, those who are human and those who are not. Astolfo, Gray, and I fall into those who are not human."

"W-wait! Slow down!" Midoriya cut in. "'Circuits'? 'Not human'? What do you mean, Sensei?" Chiron blinked before he sighed.

"Magic, I mean," he said, making the three boys and Gran Torino stare at him.

"Pardon my french, but what the fuck, Archer?" Gran Torino said flatly. Chiron only raised a brow.

"If you're asking about the exitance of Magic, then I'm a bit worried, since all of the higher-ranked and most of the Underground Heroes know of the existence of Mages. If you're asking about the fact that we're not human, then that will be explained in due time. Nonetheless, as dubious as it might be please listen," he said before he raised a hand, summoning his bow. He set it down on Astolfo's bed as the pink-haired boy summoned his lance in a flash of light as well.

"You've seen us do this a few times already," Astolfo told Iida, Midoriya, and Todoroki. "You've also seen what Sensei can do in general. **_Antares Snipe, Kazikli Bey_** , not to mention, Hippogriff and **_Vulcano Caligorante_**. Well, the last one is a bit more easy to think of as a Quirk skill, but Hippogriff, not so much."

"Magic has been around since before Quirks, there was debate when the child of light first showed up if that child was a first-generation Magus," Chiron said. "The Church and magus association did tests and research, but we came up with nothing. The child did have circuits, but they weren't active. The light wasn't caused by the activation of their circuits. In fact, I was called upon to help figure out what was going on. It really was chaos. When everything was sorted out, though, a choice was made. In theory, it wouldn't have been difficult for the magus association to simply say 'We've been here the entire time' and come out of hiding, but the Magus community was reclusive then and still are today. Thus, an agreement was made between the world governments and the Clocktower Lords— The mundane would still be the same. Quirks would be there, yes, but they would not be considered part of the 'mystics'. Yes, a magus could interact with the mundane world, most did in fact— take Gray's teacher, for example, Lord El-Melloi II, and the brother of my old master, Caules Forvedge Yggdmillennia. Laws were set in place, if you had a Quirk, you had to choose between the magus or the hero. Or you could simply choose to abandon both— or even dabble in both. But you couldn't enter the heroic profession if you chose to be a Magus and vice versa. Anyone who broke those laws became a target for the Church and the Magus Association's magus killer teams."

He leaned back, thinking. "Gran Torino, Todoroki, Iida, have you or your heroic relatives ever talked about odd villain cases? Where things just didn't add up? Quirks that didn't seem possible and hideouts with more occult themes— and I don't mean skulls and crystal balls. I'm talking about jars of organs and old, leather tomes."

Gran Torino gazed at Chiron, Astolfo, and Gray evenly before he nodded slowly. Iida did as well after a moment but Todoroki shrugged.

"I never asked and he never told me," he said and Chiron nodded.

"That's alright," he told him, "Well, Gran Torino, you found one of those hideouts, right?"

"Yeah, didn't pay too much attention to it since the guy was going around killing people and tearing the bodies up like a madman," the aged hero grunted, scowling a bit.

"That's understandable," Chiron said, nodding. "Heroes who have stumbled across workshops just want to get the villain and go, but at least you were one of the lucky ones."

His eyes narrowed. "What do you mean, Archer?"

"Call me Chiron, but I mean exactly what I said," The Archer said. "You were lucky because those strange occurrences were a result of a magus breaking the laws. The Mages Association keeps tabs on any and all circuit activations if possible. Eyes and ears everywhere. But even knowing that… Mages are known to be coldhearted. If it's for the sake of research, killing and ethics behind kills are unneeded. Discarded."

"Get to the point," Gran Torino snapped and Chiron just smiled a bit.

"I am," he said before his expression became serious. "Had that magus still been in the workshop, you would have been killed without hesitation. "All for the sake of research" would have been his reasoning. Recall how that villain was killed in his cell but there was no sign of a break-in. The police let it slide because it was one less killer in Tartarus. The thing is, a magus' main goal is to bring honor to their family— through the collection of mystics, participating in a Holy Grail War, or finding the Root. Grudges are made, that magus-villain was killed by another Magus for breaking the laws."

Midoriya's eyes widened. "What? Killed—" Astolfo nodded.

"Yeah, killed. It's actually not rare for things like this to happen," he told them, leaning back a bit as he sighed. "To take revenge by killing, that is. I dunno what the guy did, but he must have pissed off the wrong Magus Family on top of breaking the Association Laws."

"Seriously? And the law just let that slide?" Todoroki asked, bewildered.

"The law allowed the other side of the world to make the call," he pointed out. "Anyways, now that you know about Mages and Magic and all that now we get to that fun stuff!"

Chiron chuckled, "Chief Tsuragamae, out of everyone here, who is the oldest in the room?" he asked and the Chief looked up from examining a loose thread on his tie.

"You, of course, not many people could really trump that achievement, though to normal people they'd snort and tell me that Gran Torino and I are in our dog years," he said with a chuckle, making Gran Torino twitch.

"That often is the case, yes," Chiron said with a hum, "Iida, Midoriya, Todoroki, remember what I told you all to read when Bakugou first asked me about my quirk?" he asked and three boys nodded. "I didn't have you read those stories just so you could find out what my 'Quirk' was, I had you read them because I wanted you to find out who I was. Within the world of mystics, there is a supernatural event that is the spark of what equates to a small scale war. There've been many, and this event happens every two to sixty years. Why the timeframe spreads out so much, I don't know, but I know that there was one in the 1960s, one in 1994, and then another one in 2004. A lesser one took place in the time span of two years, but the result from that was disastrous— no one talks about it if the Grail War is brought up. The timeline is sporadic and that's the easiest timeframe I can give you. In the years leading up to it, mages all over who care scramble and fight tooth and nail to become one of, normally, seven participants. This event is known as the Holy Grail War."

Gran Torino's eyes widened and a spark of recognition was seen in his eyes.

Gray tilted her head. "You've heard that term, then?" she asked and the aged hero nodded.

"Yeah," He said, "Someone I knew mentioned it one day a long time ago. He said he didn't have the capabilities to become a hero or partake in a 'Holy Grail War'. I had no idea what he meant and he did sometimes make odd comments here and there. Moved to Germany a while back, haven't heard from him since."

Chiron nodded. "The Holy Grail War is a competition of sorts that decides the ownership of the famed Holy Grail through intense battle royale," he told them, "Now, unlike many heroes, a Magus would rely on their Magecraft and Mystic Codes to fight, many go and ignore their own bodies and the danger of modern technology. While not impossible for a Magus to fight back, as seen when Mages just straight up kill one another over disputes, the best way to fight in the Holy Grail War is to have a Servant— usually from one of seven classes. Seven masters, seven Servants— a class for each. These summoned Servants are figures who have left their mark in history— through legend, historical records, literature, or myths. All from an age far older than the emergence of Quirks."

"What are these classes, sensei?" Iida asked slowly and Astolfo could see the gears turning in his head. Chiron turned to the boy before he answered.

"The seven main Servant classes are separated into two categories— Knight and Calvary," He started, "In the Knight Class, three Servant types. The Saber Class, known to be the strongest of the seven Servants and the strongest of the Knights. Heroes like King Arthur the King of Knights, Seigfried the Dragon Slayer, Okita Souji of the Shinsengumi, or Attila the Hun would fall here."

"Next are the Lancers. Known for their agile bodies, proficiency in hit-and-run tactics, and their magic resistance. They were often knights if they were from the west or renowned warriors in the east. Think of heroes such as the Hound of Ulster Cu Chulainn, Hector of Troy, or the Lord Impaler Vlad III. And finally, the last of the Knights are the Archers. Known for possessing powerful Noble Phantasms,— or ultimate moves and weapons, if I were to use terminology similar to the superhero world— for acting as highly effective scouts, and are proficient at fighting at a distance. Robin Hood, Billy the Kid, Touta Tawara, and even Oda Nobunaga would fall here." Chiron explained, holding his hand up and counting each class as he said it. He lowered his hand before he placed it on his chest.

"And of course, this also includes me. I'm an Archer Class Servant." There was a bit of silence before the three boys erupted in slightly shocked cries. Gran Torino raised a brow.

"For such smart boys, they were a bit slow," he said and Chiron chuckled.

"When did you figure it out?" he asked and the hero scoffed. "As soon as you said there were Classes to these Servants," he said, "Your hero name is 'Archer of Black'— if you have the information, the name is a dead ringer."

"W-Well now that you mention it, it makes sense," Midoriya stuttered, rubbing the back of his head. "So does that mean…?"

"Yep," Astolfo nodded. "I'm one too. So is Gray, but her circumstance is a bit weird."

Todoroki tilted his head. "So what class are you, Astolfo? You use a lance, so… a Lancer? But you had a sword… so maybe Saber?"

Astolfo hummed, giving him a slight grin. "You're only half right. See, classes are fluid in some cases. In the duration of one Grail War, it would be impossible for any Servant to switch between Classes normally, but I've been here since, like, 2004. I've had more than enough time. You saw how I changed attire and weapons suddenly, right? Well, that was me switching into the Saber Class. I'm eligible to be summoned in two classes— Saber, which you know, and my normal Class, which is Rider. I'm more comfortable as a Rider since that's how I was summoned originally. Anyways, Rider Classed Servants are known for riding mounts, whether those mounts were living beasts or human constructs hardly matters. That being said, we've got lower perimeters than the Knight Classes, I myself am considered to be pretty weak even in legend. I share the class with heroes such as Iskandar the Great, Achilles the Hero of Troy, and Woman who brought down the Sun, Francis Drake— El Draque!"

"Oh, Francis Drake! I read a bit about him in a really old book once!" Midoriya said, perking before he startled. "Wait, you said the woman."

Astolfo laughed, making Chiron sigh and shake his head.

"Believe it or not, the Grail sometimes changes the gender of the Servant for no real reason that we know— maybe it enjoys messing with people, maybe all historical accounts are wrong, we don't know. Only those Servants could tell you for sure," the Archer said. "Okita Souji, for example, has appeared as a woman. As has Oda Nobunaga, King Arthur, and the sun god Quetzalcoatl."

"Wait, the Grail can summon gods?" Todorki asked, eyes wide and Chiron sighed.

"Not exactly. They're not as powerful in myth when they are summoned, but they are strong. Think of it as an aspect of a god, or a portion of them, instead of the whole thing," he told them and the duel eyed boy nodded slowly as Midoriya and Iida mulled over the information.

"Also in the Calvary class are Casters," he continued, "Many of these Servants were mages, used magic, or were connected with spirits in their own time— Medea, Merlin, and Geronimo are a few. Others were masters of artistic craft— poets, writers, and inventors. People like William Shakespeare, Hans Christian Andersen, and Leonardo Da Vinci come to mind first. Many Casters are great at magecraft works such as spells, setting bounded fields, or summoning familiars, but lack in the combat department. Healers also often fall here, my qualifications as a Sage could have landed me here as well, but I haven't bothered with class changing. I was summoned as an Archer and I have no qualms about staying as such. There is another Servant who still walks this earth, she was summoned much earlier than I was and took part in and won the second Holy Grail War. She was part of this Class as well."

"Well, what about this lass here, Chiron?" Gran Torino asked, tilting his head towards Gray before he glanced at the Chief of police. "And if you don't mind me asking, why don't you seem at least a bit shocked?" Tsuragamae blinked, chuckling a bit.

"Because I already knew. I am the Chief of Police," he said simply, "And, Chiron told me the moment he and his charges arrived in Hosu."

"Hmph, that makes more sense now," Gran Torino grumbled before he nodded. "Okay then, the lass?"

"I was wondering that as well," Iida said, "When you and Gran Torino met us, you had a scythe. I would assume that a bladed weapon like that would warrant a Saber classification but you didn't say anything when it was first mentioned." Gray shifted a bit, before nodding.

"This is where it gets tricky," She said, "As of 1943, no new figures have left a mark like the rest. One could argue that presidents from America, activists from all over, writers, poets, inventors— all of those people who have left marks in history books today— should be more than qualified, but the last known regular Servant with the closest…. Death date to our time now was the inventor Nikola Tesla, Archer Class," she told them.

"But then there are what are called Irregular Servants. These are Servants whose bodies belong to a time after 1943 and they have merged with the Spirit Origin of another Servant or they are Servants who are just pure abnormalities. I'm the second one. I was born around the early 2000s and I was to be the flesh of King Arthur, as my face vaguely resembled her. Slowly, the rest of my body changed to match the King of Knights and I forgot what my original appearance was. The village where I was from aimed to be able to control the Holy Lance, **_Rhongomyniad_** , sealed within Add." She lightly nudged the cage with the mystic code cube in it, the code silent but watching everything in the room. "By that logic, I should be a Lancer, but I'm not. My class is that of Assassin and in all honesty I've just been, um, what's the term…?"

"'Rolling with it'!" Astolfo supplied and she nodded.

"Yes, I've just been 'Rolling with it'. I shouldn't be a Servant and I don't know why the Grail summoned me alongside of the other Servants when any other figure would have been just as, if not more, powerful than me for this task. That armor-class Assassin far outranked me in ability..." she sighed. "Most Assassins are known for stealth, covert actions, and silent movements. They carry out killings in a sneaky and mostly untraceable manner, but there are exceptions to this, such as executioners like Carles Henri Sanson. I also share a class with the numerous Hassan-I-Sabbah, Fuuma Kotaro, and Jack the Ripper."

Midoriya just scratched his cheek. "No offense, Gray, but I can't really see you assassinating anyone…"

Gray just gave him a slight smile. "That's what Astolfo said, but I can't change my class like he can. I could possibly change my age, but I'm apparently in my prime right now. I'm an abnormality and I'll most likely vanish when my job is done here."

He blinked, tilting his head at that as Astolfo and Chiron both frowned, the Rider looking down at his hands as Chiron cleared his throat.

"The last class of the Calvary Servants are the Berserkers," he said. "And of the seven, they are the hardest to control and the most deadly to fight. They're inflicted with a madness enhancement that trades their sanity for a strength boost. All the classifications needed are that they must have gone insane in their life at least once. The hero Heracles of Greece, Sir Lancelot of the Round Table, Emperor Caligula of Rome, or Frankenstein's Monster are just a few. Obviously, in certain cases, there are…. exceptions to the madness— Beowulf, for example, doesn't have this. He's fully functional, but a bit battle-hungry. If anyone on staff were to be a berserker I'd say… Present Mic."

"Wh- really?" Midoriya asked, leaning forwards. "W-Well what about All Might? Or Mister Aizawa?"

"All Might is definitely Ruler Material— if we add in classes outside the main seven. Inside the main seven though... hm…" Astolfo said as he glanced up at the ceiling as he thought. "Maybe… Caster? Like a really brutal caster. The Caster that uses spells but still would rather hit you with his staff instead."

Chiron made a face, smiling a bit but also looking rather unconvinced. "Ruler, I can agree on, but knowing his fighting style, I'd say All Might is a more coherent berserker. Aizawa is Assassin material."

"'Ruler'?" Iida asked, looking a bit puzzled. "So there are more than the base seven?" The Archer nodded. "Yes, at least two others. Astolfo and I have encountered two of one of these Extra Classes— the Ruler Class. The other Class actively combats the Ruler's authority— the Avenger Class."

"Rulers preside over a Holy Grail War," Gray explained, "When the Grail feels as if Servants and masters are encroaching on its authority, it will summon forth a Ruler— even with supervisors from the church. Ruler Class Servants when summoned are a neutral party and are acting in accordance with the Greater Grail's wishes. They are given Command Seals for the other Servants."

The three students looked even more confused as Gran Torino tilted his head back a bit. "'Command Seals'?" Midoriya asked and Gray nodded.

"Essentially, they're tattoos that are three claims of absolute obedience, the crystallization of great magic, that a master has over a Servant in a Grail War carved into the Master's arm at the moment of summoning," Astolfo told them, legs crossed. "Oddly enough, though, Servants can also have command seals and act as masters. One of the two Rulers from Chiron and I's War was like that. Seals that were unused will return to the Grail and all of them will be given to the Overseer chosen for the next war. There's a lot of logistics that are in there or something, but I dunno. I don't think they're really important."

Chiron nodded. "We have gotten horribly off-topic," He pointed out. Gran Torino nodded as well, arms crossed.

"So, to get an overview," the aged hero started, "You, the pink kid, and the lass are all Servants from stories that are from what, a thousand years ago? You're here now for a Holy Grail War, but aren't doing it, instead, you're playing teacher and hero students in our side of the world?"

"When you say it like that it sounds awful, Gran Torino," the Archer sighed, leaning back before he crossed his arms. "You're only a bit right though. As stated, I'm the eldest of the Servants here, from Greek Myth. Astolfo follows next from the 13th century, Gray's from the early 2000s, and an abnormality."

"Chiron and I are from a different Grail War than Gray," Astolfo added, "We're from the Great Holy Grail War, one of the largest Grail Wars in history. Gray was summoned about, what, a week ago? Two?"

"About," she said, nodding. "I was an extra, eighth Servant. No Master, but I did have a goal. My job is to assist Chiron in his own job the Grail gave him. When I finish, I'll probably vanish like all other Servants."

Midoriya, Todoroki, and Iida exchanged looks.

"You'll 'vanish?' Apologies for the questions, but there's a lot I don't understand," Iida said, shifting a bit in his bed.

Gray gave him a soft smile, nodding. "I understand. Basically, I'll go back to being dead. Servants, unless granted a wish from the Grail that brings them back to life, aren't meant to walk among the living for a very long time. And since I'm without a Master, I rely on the Grail's power to sustain myself. When my job is done, the Grail will probably call me back unless I somehow get a master. And that part isn't easy."

Both Midoriya and Iida looked horrified and confused. "You mean your life would end— just like that?" Midoriya asked.

Gray only gave him a smile. "I understand that it sounds strange— cruel even. But this time at least I'll be returning to the Root painlessly. Hopefully, that is, if I get killed then that might be painful. I don't really want to go through that again."

"I don't think any of us do, but things happen," Astolfo sighed.

"All things die one day," Gran Torino agreed before he crossed his arms. "So, you said you two are from a different grail war? How are you even here, then? I was under the impression that a War ended when all you Servants were picked off and this Grail obtained."

"You're not wrong," Chiron said, "We're both from a war that ended in the early 2000s, over a hundred years ago. Gray was still alive then, if I recall correctly. Astolfo's master is still alive, so Astolfo is as well. My wish was granted by the Grail so as long as no one with higher divinity comes along to kill me, I'll be alright."

"Immortality, then? That was your wish?" Todoroki asked and Chiron blinked in surprise.

"Yes, actually. I wished to have back what I had asked to be taken from me. Selfish, but I had regretted giving up the one thing that granted me a bond with my parents," the Archer told the boy.

"The Grail can grant that? No strings attached— sounds more like a god than a relic," Gran Torino noted with a raised brow.

"I don't know if it would be the same if any mortal man asked for Immortality, but the Grail is an omnipotent wish granter," Chiron told him. "It can bring people back to life, grant unlimited power, lay waste to nations— to humanity, even. I was already immortal before I asked to be released from it. That said, there were some agreements that the Greater Grail and I came to. I'm to act as a counterforce of sorts in the face of a Greater Evil that rises up in humanity's time. It'll be my job to… deal with it when the time comes. If that means putting the Evil down, then I don't have any qualms about it. To ensure my task doesn't fail, the Greater Grail granted me the Phantasms of the other Servants who died in Trifas— our Grail War. I can use them or I can grant them to others to use for a certain amount of time."

"Was that spike move you used at the USJ one of those, um, Phantasms?" Midoriya asked and Chiron nodded, smiling a bit.

"Indeed it was, very good," He told the boy. "It's known as **_Kazikli Bey: The Bloody Monster King._** It had belonged to the Lord Impaler."

Astolfo grinned. "He was such a stick in the mud," He recalled before he hummed, "Anyways, like Chiron said, I'm here because my master is still alive and I'm still getting mana from him through the Grail. He's not fully immortal or anything, he's just a dragon at the end of the earth right now."

Midoriya raised his good hand. "Um, that gives me more questions than answers."

The Rider only grinned. "That's all I'm gonna give you. We don't have the time to explain everything, after all. The only thing you need to know is that when you eat the heart of a dragon, some weird stuff happens. Even though, he's still my master. Right now, my objective is to help Chiron and Gray, but in the event that my Master returns to me, he's my priority."

Midoriya nodded slowly before Iida spoke up.

"So who else knows this? We can't be the only ones."

"You're right about that," Chiron said, "Right now there are only about four of your classmates who haven't seen or asked about our Servant abilities. The Governments and the Hero Embassies of Japan, Romania, England, France, and Greece are all aware, as are most of the core staff at UA, including Recovery Girl and Nezu. Nezu was actually the first of the staff to know, which happened about fifteen years ago, but that's another story."

He stood after he finished, brushing his tunic off again. "That said, I'm still your teacher. I don't plan in treating you three any differently and I only hope that you don't treat Astolfo, Gray, or myself as such either."

"So Gray will be transferring in… seems a bit unfair since exams are coming up," Iida said as Gray stood, picking Add up. Both Chiron and Astolfo vanished their weapons, Astolfo standing as well.

"I'll be alright," she told him with a smile. "I have Add with me after all."

**"Damn right you do, kid!"**

"It talks!?"

Gray giggled as Add rattled in his cage. Chiron just sighed, but smiled.

"Midoriya, Iida, Todoroki, meet Add, the Mystic Code that holds the Holy Spear," Chiron said as Astolfo poked at the cube.

Hopefully, the Mystic Code would behave himself in class, though Chiron was unsure if he would. Add tended to be a bit of a strong-willed character from what he could figure out, but he held out on that hope.

Speaking on strong-willed characters... he had a meeting with a certain Flame Hero soon.

The Centaur glanced over his shoulder as he watched Astolfo and Gray talk to the other students and he smiled a bit.

He'd have to try and set that man straight now, wouldn't he?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyways, this is the longest chapter in the series so far. The rest should be back to the usual 1-3k words. As for the Mystery Caster, she won't be important until waaaaaaay later. This ends the Internship and Stain arc, and pretty quickly too. I know that the manga and anime show the internships taking longer, but also :/ Stain needed to get punched.
> 
> Lots of things for the future that will be happening behind the scenes. I know we all want to see Endeavor getting a long-ass lecture, but that would be a lot of dialogue and it's not in my plans as of yet.
> 
> Also, I'm very excited about the final exam arc. The Movie Arc will probably be a different story so yeah! I'm going to separate them so look out for "Two Heroes, Three Servants" after the Exam Arc. Question for the masses, though: has anyone read the manga Eat-Man? or seen the spin-off Anime for it?


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Final exam arc starts now get hype! Woo!

If anyone asked Chiron, he would say that everything that happened in Hosu was pretty well accepted by the three students and Gran Torino. Astolfo (and Gray, once her number had been given to those three boys, the nerve of them, texting his pretend-daughter so quickly!) had been getting texts from Iida, Todoroki, and Midoriya on and off on the way back to U.A. Chiron had gotten a few calls from Gran Torino as well, asking for clarifications, but for the most part, things settled down.

The day after they returned from internships, Chiron had pulled the few students who didn't know about Servants to the side and told them the bare bones of what he and Astolfo were. Following that, Gray transferred in. The transfer went pretty smoothly, though Jiro and Uraraka had been concerned about her joining during the final exams. She had assured them that it was fine before Add made a ruckus, causing some amusement as the Mystic Code was shaken in his cage.

The aftermath of the Stain incident passed and the students fell into routine again.

Things were pretty calm for the students.

Well, as calm as students studying for final exams could be.

Astolfo and Gray had both had other students in and out of the apartment for studying. It appeared that Gray had picked up on El Melloi II's teaching habits and between her and Yaoyorozu, he hoped the students would do alright.

Some of the students who came over asked him questions on Pre-Quirk Era Ancient History— many were curious about Grail Wars and the Servants who fought there and how they became known as 'heroes'. Those who asked him were startled when Chiron told them about Gilgamesh and how he would have been considered 'evil' by the current era's standards, yet he was a hero.

It was the same for many other heroes he told them about— Robin Hood would have been marked as a villain, he told Kaminari one day after explaining the legend, even though Robin Hood's ideas were similar to many heroes in that he believed the poor should be helped. Even the still legendary Oda Nobunaga would have been marked as a Villain, though there weren't too many arguments on that, due to how ruthless the War Lord could be (wait until they found out that Oda Nobunaga was a small girl, Astolfo had joked with him after they left).

And still, there were many more who were disgruntled at the idea of people like Gilles de Rais and Jack the Ripper were even considered to be as such. More than one student went back that day, thinking about the current ideology of Heroes and Villains and Chiron did hope that none of them decided to turn into a vigilante.

Despite the extra lectures the questions towards him generated, the students seemed to be having fun at the apartment. He had told Astolfo that while he had the rest of the students over that they had a full range of everything in the apartment— within reason, of course. He didn't want anyone in his room where he was keeping a majority of their assignments!

He was quite glad that they were all studying together though, it warmed his heart when he was back from meetings to see Gray and Iida quizzing their friends on the couch while Astolfo and Ojiro made the best of what they had. Some of them staid for dinner as well and he made sure that anyone who wanted to could take home leftovers. Bakugou had (angrily) asked to watch him cook the one time he had been over, using the excuse that he didn't get American Measurements at all and also wanted to know "Shit about that fucking Drake woman" while he made dinner. Chiron had only chuckled and agreed, slowing his movements for him to keep up as he worked, all the while telling him about the woman who was known as El Draque.

Those who had known about Francis Drake previously had also been startled to know that 'he' was a 'she'.

That said, he only hoped they weren't neglecting their physical training either. The studying they were doing was wonderful, but no matter how much studying they did, none of it would help with the practical portion of the exam this year. The practical exams were going to be changed.

The core staff had discussed it briefly, and with Nezu's permission, Aizawa and Kan started working on the pair-ups for their two classes respectively. Today would be the day that Aizawa proposed the pairs he came up with and Powerloader would hand out the final product of the Support Class' labor.

Chiron entered the meeting room a few minutes early, giving both Aizawa and Yagi, who were already in there, a smile in greeting. Aizawa didn't look up from his notes as he sat, but Yagi gave him a tired smile in return.

The man had been up late again, working his body to the limits, though it wasn't like Chiron was giving him a choice in the matter.

He was definitely breaking all sorts of laws by having Yagi strengthen the Magic Circuits within his body.

And also Endeavor's.

He was hoping that he would be able to work on others'— Maijima's weren't bad, and he had taken an interest in Add when Gray explained to him what the Mystic Code was.

He was definitely in trouble with the Embassy, but hopefully, he wasn't in as much trouble with the Mages' Association. There were times where laws needed to be broken, and it was easier to ask for forgiveness than permission in this case, he reasoned.

He leaned back a bit, running some hands through his bangs as the other teachers filed in slowly, Nezu greeting him as he climbed up in the chair beside him.

Maijima was the last to arrive, settling down in his chair with a hum.

"Well, now that we're all here, let's not waste any time," Nezu said and Aizawa handed a few papers out to the rest of the teachers.

"Right, I've split all twenty-two students up into pairs based on certain factors between them," the homeroom teacher said with a yawn. He picked up one of the papers.

"First up," he said, "Ashido and Kaminari. Their behavior, for better or for worse, is quite simplistic." he turned to glance at Nezu. "I'm going to leave them to you, Principal. I'd appreciate if you could scoop something out of those brains of those for them."

Nezu nodded, seeming chipper as he smiled and looked up at Aizawa. "Okay!"

Aizawa nodded as well. "Shouji and Hagakure are next," he continued before he turned to Snipe. "Those two are good in stealth. Facing off with you will give them a challenge and make them focus on their stealth solely."

"Aye," Snipe nodded, "You can count on me, pardner."

"Good. Iida and Ojiro are next," he continued. "Both are fast and very mobile. Originally, I was going to put Ojiro with Sero, but decided on this because of Iida's need to be on a solid surface to move. Maijima, I know that this isn't normally your stomping ground, but your digging and trap making would come in handy. If Iida can't run, then they're stuck if they don't use their heads."

"Gotcha," Maijima nodded.

"Ishiyama, you're next. I have you up against Kirishima and Satou. Both are strong, but their endurance is low. You'll provide them with a choice— if they're overconfident they'll fail."

Ishiyama nodded. "They will have to realize that not every fight they can with brute force alone."

"Exactly," Aizawa said, shifting his papers. "Yamada, you're getting Jiro and Kouda. I don't have to explain why, right?" he asked and the blonde grinned.

"Nah, I got ya," he said, "I'll turn my volume to max output."

Aizawa nodded. "Good. Asui and Tokoyami are next," he continued. "Asui's weaknesses are harder to pinpoint because of how she takes everything in stride. She notes what they are and fixes them quickly. Tokoyami, on the other hand, is limited to ranged combat because of his lack of close combat training. Normally, I'd want them up against myself or All Might, but I have other plans. Ectoplasm, can I leave the two up to you, instead?"

The masked hero nodded, not saying a word before Aizawa looked back to his papers.

"Ayoma and Urararaka I'm leaving up to you, Thirteen."

The rescue hero looked up from the papers, nodding a bit. "Alright… both have quirks that make them unstable when airborne, right? They'll have to rely on getting up close and personal then."

Aizawa nodded a bit. "That's what I was thinking. You'll do great."

"Yes! I'll do my best!"

"Sero and Mineta are next up," he said, just barely hiding a grimace. "Honestly, Sero would be able to do better with a stronger teammate and I debated Ojiro, then Astolfo or Gray, but for the obvious reasons, I dropped the last two."

He turned to Kayama. "You don't mind, right?"

"Oh not at all!" Kayama said with a chuckle. "Mineta because he'll be distracted right?"

"Yeah," Aizawa said as he nodded. "And Sero will be distracted because he'll be trying to keep him in line." She nodded again before Aizawa sighed, looking at the remaining papers. "And here are the powerhouses. First up, Todoroki and Yaoyorozu. While incredibly talented, Todoroki relies on brute force way too much. Yaoyorozu, on the other hand, is well rounded but lacks the judgment to make a split-second decision. They'll be up against me. I'll be erasing their Quirks and be hitting them at their weak points."

"No objections here," Nezu chirped, earning nods from most of the other staff.

Aizawa nodded. "Next, All Might. I'm leaving Midoriya and Bakugou up to you."

Yagi startled, looking over as Aizawa explained. "In this case, I didn't pair them up in their ability or classwork— it's purely relationship-based. They're on horrible terms and you have a soft spot for Midoriya."

Yagi nodded slowly. "I… see. Very well, then," he agreed.

Aizawa leaned back. "And then lastly, our two Servant students— Gray and Astolfo. I don't want to test my or anyone else's luck here, so the obvious choice was Chiron." He set his notes down, looking over to the Archer. "Are you alright with that? The only other option would to be to switch you and All Might," he said and Chiron nodded.

"It's not a problem," he told them, humming a bit. "Both are very flexible when fighting, they both have a very different style. You've seen Astolfo fight, but the extent of Gray and Add's abilities outrank his in sheer destructibility," he explained, "In fact, I'd say that… if she wanted to, she would be able to wipe every single one of the staff here of the face of the earth with one strike."

The teachers tensed as he spoke, watching the normally mild and easygoing man enter a more serious mode.

"In all honesty, I know I can take Astolfo down. Not even in terms of Class ability only. He can be rash and his Rider form is not suited for fighting ranged combat on a team. It's Gray I'll be worried about. While I have looked at records and watched her and Astolfo fight, she's still an unknown. I'm just going to have to bank on her inexperience against other Servants." He steepled his hands in front of him before he turned to Aizawa. "I would request that our fight is last of the students' fights and I would like for the rest of you to watch the full fight. The students are aware of our inhuman status, whoever is conscious among them should watch us as well."

Both Aizawa and Nezu gazed evenly at him before Nezu nodded.

"We can arrange that," he said, "In fact, it would be a good idea to do that. None of the students have seen you fight for real."

"USJ doesn't count either," Aizawa added. "You fought in order to keep those alive. Servants and Humans are different. You can let loose."

"Exactly," Chiron said with a smile. "As the Great Sage and teacher of Ancient Heroes, it's my duty to teach not only Gray and Astolfo what the Knight Class can do, but also the other students what a Servant is."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Goodbye Astolfo. You will be missed.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Goodbye Astolfo...

Nezu had outdone himself this time.

Normally the terrains that were built and used for UA's classes were basic. Empty cities and neighborhoods, rocky plains and empty construction sites, and fields and open amphitheaters.

Nezu, Maijima, and Ishiyama, along with a construction team, had created a replication of Trifas based on images and details of the village and other Romanian villages. For Astolfo and himself, it brought back memories. For Gray? Well, she would have to deal with Astolfo and his sense of direction between the winding streets and numerous buildings.

For Chiron, the buildings and streets wouldn't be an issue, since he hadn't moved from his spot on a bell tower. The gate was behind him, but there was no way from the sides to get there. The area was specifically designed for the Rider and Assassin to attack directly... If they could even get close enough, that is. He was an Archer first, after all and both of the other Servants knew that he wasn't going to go easy on them.

His eyes glowed as he zeroed in on the two Servants, weaving between buildings, and his fingers twitched before an arrow materialized. The Archer shifted before he fired, shooting the ground in front of Astolfo. The Rider backed up, head looking up towards his direction before he grabbed Gray and ducked inside a building.

His eyes narrowed before he materialized three arrows, firing them as three streaks of blue light shot out from one of the windows. Gray had transformed Add into a bow it seemed. It was interesting, though her marksmanship had some skill to be desired.

"Changing up Add's form on the fly, now? Interesting… the extent of that Code… I wonder…" he said with a smile as the arrows collided with one another. His gaze landed on the Rider and Assassin as they made their way through the town. To a normal man, it would be impossible to see them, but he was far from a normal man. From the distance between them and him was far less than the distance that had been between him and Atalanta the first time they had fought in Trifas, but it was still impressive.

He only hoped that the cameras were picking up everything and that a good number of the students were still conscious.

He let out a breath, watching as Gray and Astolfo made their way closer before he fired off several more arrows. The two would have to think of a better way to get close enough, though they were making decent time running through back alleyways and staying out of the open for longer than needed. More shots of blue broke him from his thoughts, though he easily countered them with his own arrows.

"Goodness, I'm getting bored up here," He sighed as he watched Astolfo and Gray move through the town again. While Gray's full range of abilities was still a mystery to him, he knew that Astolfo didn't have anything that could be considered ranged unless he wanted to risk a Class change or injury to Gray. His sword in his Saber form had an impressive reach, but his **_La Black Luna_** would have been able to do much more damage— that is, if Gray wasn't with him. The noise from the horn would leave Gray disoriented if she was anywhere nearby, and in an enclosed space like this, she would have to be.

No, Astolfo wasn't suited for Ranged combat during the daylight hours.

"Well, since I'm bored, let's take care of some of these buildings in the way," he said before his hand glowed and a golden light spread from his hand across his bow. The golden weapon shifted color, changing to the same black bow that Atalanta used. Two arrows materialized in his free hand and he knocked them both. He pointed the bow up towards the sky and fired both of them. He spared a glance towards Astolfo and a look of recognition was seen in the Rider's eyes.

 ** _"Phoebus Catastrophe,"_** He murmured and the sky flashed. It lit up with a pale, teal-colored light before thousands upon thousands of arrows made of energy rained down on the created village.

Good thing U.A. had the funds for things like this, though he did feel bad about destroying it. But Nezu had told him to go all out, so here he was.

He brushed a hand through his hair, his bow reverting back to normal as the buildings cracked and crumbled under the impact of the assault. The arrows stopped after a few more moments, a cloud of dust and smoke rising up from the remains.

He ducked to the side suddenly as jets of blue shot from the dust and Hippogriff, carrying Astolfo and Gray, flew up from the dust and remnants of the town. Hippogriff rushed at him and Astolfo swung his lance at him. Chiron dodged, falling back off of the tower with a small grin.

He landed, rolling out of the way of an attack from Gray as soon as he did before he grabbed her wrist as she made an attempt at a second strike. He flipped her over his shoulder before he lept out of the way of Astolfo's lance, eyes narrowing.

"Gray! You good?" The Rider asked as Chiron landed, Astolfo and Hippogriff circling above. Gray nodded, getting up.

"I'm alright…" she said before the both of them leaped out of the way of a barrage of arrows. Hippogriff dove and Astolfo leaped off of its back. He rolled back to his feet, rushing at Chiron with his lance and the Archer was forced onto the defensive. He knew full well what even a graze by that lance could do to him if Astolfo wanted it to and he preferred being able to move.

Astolfo swung up and Chiron moved quickly, taking advantage of the opening— slamming his elbow into the Rider's stomach. The boy went flying before he easily dodged another strike from Gray, deflecting another with his bow. Add shifted into a short sword and Gray struck again. Chiron deflected again with his bow before he leaped up, dodging a strike from Astolfo's sword. Black bunny ears and twin-tails signified the boy's Class change as both the once Rider's and Assassin's swords clashed.

He landed behind Astolfo, kicking him forwards and he crashed into Gray. The two both crashed into a half-destroyed wall, though Astolfo recovered quickly. He rolled off of Gray, checking to make sure she was still alive (her eyes were closed, and Chiron could tell that she was knocked out just by the way her head was positioned) before he turned to him. He swung his sword, the blade separating into segments and Chiron found himself on the defensive again as he dodged to the side. The blade caught and wrapped around a chunk of building and Astolfo pulled, picking Gray up with one arm. Chiron leaped back and out of the way of loosened rubble falling where he had been. The rubble caused another plume of dust to rise up and Chiron's eyes flashed.

So Astolfo was going to use a smokescreen to protect them as the two ran towards the gate.

Well, Astolfo was running, Gray was… conscious now, but on his back.

He could let them escape, but where was the fun in that?

Chiron took off after them through the dust. A groan from a nearby building made him leap to the side as Astolfo's sword flashed out of sight. Astolfo was smart in pulling parts of buildings down and tugging loose chunks of rubble in his path. That said, it meant that Chiron would have to dodge more as well. It wasn't overly difficult to do for him as he sidestepped and dodged falling rubble. He leaped over larger chunks of a building that were already on the ground and blocking his way.

Surely Astolfo knew this wouldn't slow him down for very long.

He frowned, slowing his strides. A burst of energy made him startle before he was forced to leap back from the whip-like blade of Astolfo's. The pink-haired boy walking towards him from the dust as his sword reconnected

"And here I thought you planned to escape," Chiron said, "You should know that nothing good comes from seeking glory."

"Yeah, I know," Astolfo said, shrugging as he flicked his wrist again, sending his sword at Chiron, who leaped out of the way. "But I'm irrational."

"So it seems," he sighed as he dodged another strike from Astolfo. The Saber, only grinned again before he called his sword back to him. The segments connected together with a clear 'clink' and Chiron shifted his footing.

He would have to leap up to dodge Astolfo's Noble Phantasm. The boy's skill with the sword wasn't too bad in his Rider class, but as a Saber and unleashing a Noble Phantasm? Stain should've felt lucky he was still alive.

A pinkish-purple glow surrounded Astolfo as the boy held his sword out in front of him.

 ** _"Splendidly and sweetly! The beauty under the moon that dances and scatters!"_** he chanted and Chiron tensed as the Saber flicked his wrist. The Phantasm rushed towards him and the Archer leaped up, dodging the strike and exiting the dust cloud.

 ** _"Grave me… Grave... for you…"_** a voice murmured, though the words resounded in the area. Chiron's eyes snapped to the bell tower and landed on a hooded figure. Gray held Add out in front of her, the cube glowing.

 ** _"Exterminate sweet mysteries, all will return to the void,"_** She said as she raised the cube up towards the sky. Golden energy swirled around it as Add's automated voice, lacking all of its usual personality, spoke. His defeat was already locked in place when Astolfo confronted him. He would have no time to dodge what came next.

**_"Pseudo-personality halt. Mana accumulation rate, non-stationary breakthrough. Second stage, limited release start!"_ **

Gray grasped Add and a pillar of golden light burst forth, seeming to pierce the heavens. She swung her hand back, eyes glowing gold as the pillar followed her direction.

**_"Rhongomyniad!"_ **

Chiron only could smile as golden energy enveloped his vision.

Those two had outsmarted him wonderfully.

(x)

Midoriya stood next to the rest of his classmates in the monitor room, the teachers standing behind them as they all watched the fight between three Servants.

Principal Nezu had told them that as long as they were conscious he would like them all to watch, so that meant that everyone except for Sero and Bakugou were watching— Sero was still asleep, Bakugou unconscious. Present Mic was also out of it, still catatonic from the bugs apparently.

Midoriya had seen Chiron fight a grand total of once and that was at the USJ. He had proven that he could hold his own, as could Astolfo. He had seen Astolfo fight at the USJ and during the Stain incident, but he wasn't sure what to think of Gray. She was an enigma. She was agile and quite mobile, as seen on the first day she transferred in when doing All Might's rescue course. She had navigated the area easily, though he supposed that was just an advantage of being a Servant.

Still, if he remembered correctly, Chiron had said that the Knight Classes were more powerful than the Calvary Classes. And the Calvary was where Astolfo and Gray were from.

"Of course, Astolfo could change to a Saber, but would he risk it? He said that since he hadn't been doing it constantly it drained him of energy, but if he had been training by shifting between his Classes while we were all studying on our own then that would make it easier right? Still, Chiron has an advantage when it comes to ranged combat. Perhaps one of Add's forms is a ranged weapon? He seems versatile enough to be able to do that. Astolfo mentioned he had another Phantasm that could do ranged damage, but would he use it and—"

"Midoriya, you're mumbling again," Iida said, lightly smacking his head with a karate chop. Midoriya yelped, rubbing his head apologetically.

"S-sorry…" he said before he turned back to the monitors. Astolfo and Gray were both crouched inside a building, though Midoriya wasn't sure how much good that did with Chiron on a bell tower watching. They seemed to have a hard time getting close enough to enter into close combat, and even if they did get close to the bell tower, Chiron was still over a hundred feet above them.

Midoriya gasped softly as three jets of blue light shot from one of the building's windows. Chiron fired his own arrows, knocking them out of the sky with a smile. So he was right, Add could change into a ranged weapon. Gray leaped from the window as golden arrows whizzed past her face, Astolfo following her out before they moved behind another building, slowly gaining ground.

Chiron wasn't letting them get close very fast as he fired off arrows from his spot at the bell tower. Midoriya had to wonder if it was training or his Servant abilities that let him become so precise when it came to sniping at others.

He watched as Chiron countered a few more shots from Gray with his own arrows, though the Archer seemed to be getting a bit impatient. Astolfo and Gray were still weaving in between the buildings, along with entering and exiting them if they needed too.

_"Well, since I'm bored, let's take care of some of these buildings in the way…."_

Midoriya startled, watching as Chiron shot two arrows into the air. The arrows spiraled around each other as they shot towards the sky in a way that only magic could do.

**_"Phoebus Catastrophe."_ **

In a flash, Midoriya and the rest watched with wide eyes and surprised faces as an entire rain of arrows showered the created town.

"I know you said for him to go wild, Principal, but that seems like a bit much," Cementoss said and Midoriya had to agree as he heard Uraraka and Yaoyorozu gasp. Ashido squeaked and Midoriya felt some of the others tense up as buildings crashed down.

"He really does have power, doesn't he?" Midnight murmured and Snipe nodded, grunting a bit.

"A bit overkill for two kids, but I suppose if you are playing the villain than damage and victims are the point," Thirteen sighed. "Should we have given Chiron more weight bands?"

"Do ya really think those things would do a thing ta him?" Snipe asked, leaning back a bit. "Ain't done much ta All Might, hardly think that Bronco wouldda been hindered."

"They survived that!?" Mineta yelped, pulling Midoriya's attention back to the screens as blue jets of light shot from the dust cloud. Midoriya could only watch with wide eyes as he glanced at the camera in charge of tracking the two Servants. Both Gray and Astolfo seemed to be a bit scuffed, Astolfo had a quickly dissolving arrow in his shoulder, but he didn't seem to be paying it any mind. He shifted, holding his hand out and Hippogriff was summoned. The Rider climbed on, pulling Gray up before the beast shot into the sky.

It was amazing, watching the three fight as Chiron was forced into close combat. He knew that his teacher was insanely strong— he took that Nomu down, after all— but he didn't know how. He seemed to be effortlessly dodging and countering and Midroiya found himself gasping as Astolfo changed classes and Chiron kicked him into Gray.

He winced and heard Iida inhale sharply as Gray's head hit the wall, eyes widening before closing. The hit must have knocked her out.

"That looked painful, kero.." Asui voiced and a few others nodded, watching Astolfo grab Gray and flee after he pulled part of a building down.

"Looks like they're gonna make a run for it instead," Ectoplasm noted. "Is the power gap between those two that great, I wonder?"

"Chiron said that he could take on Astolfo confidently," Midnight noted. "He also told us that Gray's sheer destructibility outclassed them both. If Gray's out of the picture, I have a feeling that Astolfo has no choice."

Aizawa shrugged and Nezu just hummed. The Principal definitely knew something the rest of them didn't.

"What is Astolfo doing!?" Kaminari cried, watching as Astolfo set Gray down and took back off into the dust cloud. Midoriya held his breath, watching as Chiron and Astolfo clashed before Uraraka shook his arm.

"Deku, look!" she said, pointing to another monitor. He glanced over, watching as Gray's eyes opened and she stood easily. She had only been pretending to be unconscious? She seemed too coordinated to be just coming out of unconsciousness, he noticed as she turned, taking off quickly towards the exit gate.

Or so he thought.

He watched as she leaped up, rocketing off the side of another building and onto the wall of the bell tower. With what seemed like impossible physics, she ran up the side, swinging Add out in his scythe form when she got close to the top. The blade caught in the clay-tile roof and she hauled herself up.

She stood there, pulling Add up into her hands before the scythe collapsed into Add's standard, cube form. She took a breath before she started speaking softly.

 ** _"Gray. Rave. Crave. Deprave..."_** She murmured, eyes closed and he felt chills go down his spine. It wasn't the light, soft-spoken tone she normally had, but something that carried weight. A tone that had authority.

 ** _"Splendidly and sweetly! The beauty under the moon that dances and scatters!"_** came from Astolfo's monitor and he spared a glance over. The boy had his sword out in front of him and he, Iida, and Todoroki held their breaths. They knew what was to follow if Astolfo finished his chant.

Only, he didn't. He swung his blade forwards like he would have anyway, but the chant didn't finish, the glow faded.

But, Midoriya realized, it didn't matter as Chiron leaped up, dodging the assumed release of the Rider's Noble Phantasm.

His eyes moved to Gray's screen.

**_"Grave me… Grave... for you…"_ **

Chiron seemed to be just as surprised as he gazed at Gray, golden light emitting from the cube.

 ** _"Exterminate sweet mysteries, all will return to the void,"_** She said, eyes snapping open. They were glowing an orange color, different from her usual green, as she raised the cube up to the sky. Golden energy swirled around it as a new voice sounded from Add.

**_"Pseudo-personality halt. Mana accumulation rate, non-stationary breakthrough. Second stage, limited release start!"_ **

Gray grasped the cube and a pillar of golden light burst from it, the pillar going so high up, it seemed to pierce the heavens. The light was bright and even the teachers seemed stunned as static started to fizz on the edges of the monitor screens. Gray shifted, swinging her hand back and the pillar followed her command.

**_"Rhongomyniad!"_ **

Midoriya and the rest of the students and staff watched in shock and awe as she thrust her hand forward. The light blasting Chiron with such ferocity that the monitors in the area all flickered out.

"She didn't kill him, did she?" Satou whispered to Kirishima and he shrugged. Midoriya glanced back to the teachers. Aizawa had the biggest grin on his face as Cementoss and Midnight handed him a few bills. Nezu looked pleased as well, though Thirteen seemed to have an air of worry around them. Snipe, Cementoss, Powerloader, and Ectoplasm glanced at each other before looking away and back to the monitors as the connection was re-established. Only Thirteen seemed to be a bit worried, but Midoriya knew they had a sympathetic heart towards any of the 'good guys' in general.

The sheer destruction caused by the gray-haired girl was obvious, as everything in the direction she had pointed it in had been reduced to dust. Astolfo, back in his Rider form, summoned Hippogriff and caught Gray as she staged and pitched forwards off the bell tower.

Midoriya glanced over the monitors before his eyes landed on the one closest to Chiron's location. The Archer had smoke rising off of him, body splayed out over rubble and eyes closed. His chest rose slowly and a collected sigh of relief was let out among the students and a few staff members.

 _"Good job with restraint, Gray,"_ Astolfo said as Hippogriff landed. Gray just gave him a tired smile and the boy slid off of Hippogriff's back, holding the handcuffs. He easily cuffed the Archer's unconscious form before the buzzer sounded.

**_"Team Astolfo and Gray pass the examination!"_ **

A cheer went up from the students and Midoriya noticed the staff looking relieved as Recovery girl stood, walking out of the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before anyone starts yelling that Chiron would have been able to tell that Gray was conscious, you're right. But she had been unconscious before. Servants, from what I would assume, recover a lot faster than humans do.
> 
> And before someone says that Chiron could have dodged that and also realized what was going on, maybe. But not to the dodging part. Dodging while airborne is hard enough on its own. And the blast zone of Rongomyniad is fucking massive. And there's also the fact that when it comes to Gary and Astolfo, they're only going through the school as part of cover/in order to get licenses in Japan. They're already more powerful than most heroes, they don't need the training so to speak. If Chiron let them pass instead of getting beat is up for you all to decide.
> 
> I'm shaking up the update schedule ahahahaha. You'll still get your friday chapter, though. I'm just posting this one early. We have one chapter before the I-Island Arc, which will be a new story and I will not be updating Sagittarius until that arc is done.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter for Sagittarius until the I-Island arc is done. That will be found in Two Heroes, Three Servants and the first chapter of that will be posted today as well. If you don't care about the I-Island arc, then just sit tight for a while so I can get that one done and then this one will resume updates.

Despite Chiron surviving a nearly point-blank blast from Gray's Noble Phantasm (No matter how restrained), the centaur in human form remained unconscious for the remaining day and day after. It had ended up distracting Gray during those days to the point where Astolfo had told her that he was sure that if he left her to her own devices, she would have been in the infirmary waiting for him to wake up. Just so that she could apologize.

Gray would have to admit that he was at least partially right and if weren't for Astolfo practically dragging her out to go meet with a number of their classmates to go shopping, then she would have been there while he was there. The reason for shopping was for the class' summer training camp that would be coming up soon and not everyone had everything that they needed, apparently. And so, Astolfo hadn't given Gray the choice not to come. Instead, he grabbed her by the back of her cloak when she attempted to leave and dragged her to the mall instead.

She wasn't all that fond of shopping, however. It wasn't that she hated it, she had gone with Reines and Lluvia a number of times before, but it just wasn't her thing.

She knew that even if Astolfo hadn't spoken up and told their classmates that they were both going to be there, she would have ended up going anyways, but just on a different day.

It seemed as if the I-Island Formal Dinner had landed her in a strange situation where she had to find a more suitable outfit.

It just so happened that before the final exams, Chiron had gotten an invite to the I-Island Expo in a few days. Yaoyorozu had perked up when she overheard her and Astolfo talking about it. It turned out that she was also going— as were Iida, Todoroki, and probably Bakugou.

Astolfo already had an outfit picked out apparently, but Gray found herself at a loss. She quite liked her normal attire, plus she still wanted to keep her face as hidden as possible. She didn't like it when people commented on how pretty her face was. Of course, strangers wouldn't know about why she was so against showing her face and keeping it under the shadow of her hood. But still, she hated it.

Dresses didn't leave much of an option to hide her face.

She sighed a bit as she watched Ashido, Hagakure, Yaoyorozu, and Astolfo raid the dress section of the shop they were in. Jiro had been helping, but she ended up distracted by some dark jeans and leather coats. Gray didn't blame her. They looked cool and right up the Earphone Jack Quirk user's fashion alley.

"Are you with those girls?" a voice asked and she looked up, seeing a young woman with deep, red eyes and hair that shined like gemstone standing next to her. Her hair had been pulled back in high twintails, Gray noticed, and she looked very fashionable in her white, collared shirt, black shorts and suspenders, and black tie. She held a few bags in her hand and stair hairpins decorated her bangs.

"Oh, yes… um, you see, we're supposed to be going to a formal event later this summer," she said softly and the young woman nodded, putting her hands on her hips.

"Looks like they're just picking dresses off the racks left and right, though. No sense of order," the redhead mused.

Gray fidgeted. "U-Um… it's because of me… I- I'm the only one without a dress… I- it's a bit harder to find clothing for me since I, um, don't usually dress up..." she admitted.

The young woman looked surprised as Gray looked down at her feet. Add wisely kept his mouth shut.

"Well, we can't have that now can we!" the redhead said before she put her hands on her hips. "I actually work for a fashion master, though his own tastes leave a lot to be desired, but I know my way around the world of dresses and formals! I'm going to help you!"

"H-huh!?" she startled, eyes wide as the young woman in front of her gave her a thumbs up.

"Yep~ Don't you worry about a thing! Just head over to a dressing room and your friends and I will figure something out in a jiffy~" she told her, pushing her to the back. Gray hesitated but walked to the back dressing rooms. She glanced over her shoulder, seeing the young woman walk over to the girls from her class and also Astolfo.

She sighed, but ducked into a dressing room, closing the curtain and sitting down on the bench there.

It wasn't too much longer before Astolfo poked his head in, startling her. 

"Soooo Pro Hero Red Beryl just handed us a bunch of dresses for you," he said, stepping in with his arms full of dresses. Gray's eyes widened.

"She was a Pro Hero?" she asked as the Rider set the dresses on the bench or hanging them up on the hooks.

He nodded, humming, "Yup, she works under Best Jeanist."

Gray rubbed her temples, cheeks flushed. "The Number Four Hero?"

"That's the one!" Astolfo laughed before he stepped out. "Make sure to show us when you change, okay?"

(x) 

It had taken them only six dresses before all of the girls and Astolfo agreed on one. It reminded Gray of one of the dresses Reines had made her wear once, which actually made Add perk up a bit.

The hero ("Just call me Red Beryl, kiddo! My real name is a bit hard to pronounce!") had been proud that she had made the right choice in dress colors before she had to go. With the dress paid for and put in a dress bag, the other girls headed off to grab things for the summer camp in about two weeks. Final exams were done, there were only two other practical classes left, then the trip to I-Island, and then finally the summer camp. After that… well, she didn't know.

She didn't know if she'd still be around at that point.

She sighed a bit, walking around the mall. Right now she was by herself (well, with Add) instead of with the others. 

She had bought a duffle bag not too long ago, so she was set there. Maybe she should look at some other casual clothing? Aside from the dress for the expo, she had also gotten a more casual dress, but she didn't really feel the need to buy any more clothes. Unlike Chiron and Astolfo, her battle attire was pretty close to everyday clothes. She didn't get odd looks for haveing her hood up either and unlike a normal school, Mister Aizawa wouldn't make her take her hood down.

She actually quite liked the tired homeroom teacher. He was a lot like Sir— El Melloi II sometimes…

She shook her head out of her thoughts.

Maybe she should look for someone else to walk around with? If she remembered correctly Uraraka and Midoriya had been left when Astolfo and the other girls dragged her off. If she was lucky the two might still be around the main entrance area.

She glanced around as she moved to the rail that protected the overlook. It took her a bit before she spotted the green hair of her classmate, the boy sitting on a bench seemingly talking to a hooded stranger.

She started to smile at the similarity before her blood ran cold upon seeing something else. The person he was sitting with had his hand wrapped around Midoriya's throat. She turned, quickly making her way through the crowd towards the closest set of stairs. Slowly her stride's speed increased and then before she realized it she was sprinting.

She leaped over the edge of a railing, landing on the stairs below and frightening a small girl.

"I"m sorry!" She called over her shoulder as she ran down the stairs, heading towards the spot where she saw Midoriya. The two were in her line of sight now, four of man's fingers wrapped tightly around Midoriya's neck and tightening by the second.

"Let go of Midoriya!" she called out, breaking away from the crowd with her eyes narrowed. Both the man and Midoriya glanced over upon hearing her.

She heard the sound of footsteps as the security guards started to approach. The man stared at her for a moment longer before he let go of Midoriya's neck.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know you had friends here!" he exclaimed as the boy sat back down heavily, coughing and choking, gasping for breath but unable to slow his ragged breathing. The hooded man started to walk away as Gray moved to his side. She placed a hand on his back, glaring at the hooded man.

"Alright then, I'll be going. You know what will happen if you follow me," the man said and Gray tensed a bit, understanding the threat in the other man's words. Her eyes narrowed and she reached for Add again but Midoriya grasped her wrist. He coughed as Astolfo, Uraraka, Yaoyorozou, and Jiro pushed through the edge of the crowd.

"W-wait, Shigaraki. What is All For One's ultimate goal?"

'All For One?'

The man— Shigaraki— responded with an uncaring dismissal, vanishing into the crowd.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The cameo this time is Red Beryl from Land of the Lustrous. I am aware that the Land of the Lustrous characters, save Kongo and the Adnirabilis, are genderless for the most part (some use the masculine version of 'I', some use neutral, I think one or two use the feminine one), Red Beryl will be referred to with she/her pronouns when needed. I say this because Red Beryl will be included later on in the Second Story for this series, but mainly because of reasons you will know about later.
> 
> Anyways, Red Beryl thinks Jeanist is a fashion disaster.
> 
> Just a note though: Remember that this is the LAST chapter for Sagittarius until the I-Island Arc is finished. That Arc will be found under "Two Heroes Three Servants" and the first chapter will be posted today as well.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we're back, baby! Sagittarius will continue onwards from here until the end of the Raid Arc. All the reviews from the last Sagittarius chapter are here, since I've been updating Two Heroes, Three Servants and I want to keep the reviews from each book in their respective ones. Also yes, you'll get a chapter tomorrow. I have it ready but also this one ahaha.

Gray found that she didn't like long bus rides. She already wasn't overly fond of trains after the Rail Zepplin incident, and being motion sick didn't help much either. Chiron had given her some medicine to help with the motion sickness and then Astolfo has suggested some music to help when she told them as such. She was grateful for both and ended up sitting at the front of the bus near Aizawa as they drove to the training camp. In the back, she knew that the other students were having fun talking and goofing off, but she was fine where she was.

Add was chewing on something, making soft clicking noises from where he was situated under her cloak. It probably some wrapper or something that Dark Shadow had slipped him. The two got along quite well and while she had no qualms against it, Tokoyomi seemed to be less fond of how loud and vulgar Add could get.

She pulled one of her earbuds out when she noticed Aizawa standing and looking towards the back of the bus. He was trying to tell them something but gave up as he turned back around with a sigh.

"You're not going to join in with that noise?" he asked her after a moment and she shook her head.

"Astolfo's the noisy one, not me," she said simply, putting her earbud back in. Maybe she'd try to convince the boy to quiet the others down a bit for the sleep-deprived man when they stopped at the hour mark of the trip.

She settled back in her seat, gazing out the window with a hum. She hoped that Chiron would make a bit more headway than before on his…. project.

He was going to get in trouble with the Hero Embassy, despite the Mages Community giving him the go-ahead. Gray wasn't even sure if the circuits of All Might and Endeavor could withstand the use of Noble Phantasms, but Chiron had assured her that it was going smoothly.

If that was 'smoothly' in the sense of going well, quickly, and painlessly or if it was 'smoothly' in the same way that he trained Achilles to dodge arrows, she wasn't sure. She worried more about Yagi's health than Mister Todoroki's inevitable bruising.

She sighed at the thought, shaking her head and looking back outside the window. It wasn't too long before she dozed off against it and it didn't feel like too much later before Aizawa nudged her awake.

She sat up, rubbing her eyes and yawning as the bus approached an outlook over the mountain road. It pulled into the dirt lot and Aizawa stood.

"Everyone off," he said flatly and with the noise that only the chatter of high school students could make, they all filed off the bus. Add grumbled a bit, but she ignored him as she took a breath of fresh air.

The scenery was nice, but aside from another car parked not too far to the side, it was void of anything else.

Oh.

Oh no.

She managed to catch Aizawa's eye as he glanced over the students and the tiniest hint of a smirk could be seen on his lips. She glanced at Astolfo and his face seemed frozen in a bright, closed-eyed smile.

So he realized it too, then.

Some of the other students voiced their confusion as they glanced around and Gray tugged her hood down a bit more.

"It's been a long time, Eraserheaad!" a voice said, making her jump a bit. She turned her head a bit, glancing back.

"With sparkling eyes, we rock on!"

"Cute cat singer!"

"The Wild, Wild Pussycats!"

She stared, along with the others, at the sudden appearance of two women. One as a brunette wearing a red-colored costume while the other was blonde donning blue. Both vaguely resembled cats with the earpieces, tails, and paw-shaped gloves. There was a small child with them for some reason.

"I'd like to introduce the professional heroes, the Pussycats," Aizawa said before Midoriya launched into a fanboy fueled lecture about the hero team. He was enthusiastic at least.

Gray squeaked as the blonde slammed her hand onto his face, effectively shutting the boy up.

Okay, maybe too enthusiastic if he made her mad.

"I'm pretty sure your math must be off!" She said, her grin becoming more feral than cute. "I'm eighteen at heart!"

The red-clad hero just smiled before she stretched her hand out. "We own this whole stretch of land, as far as you can see," she told them before she pointed.

"The summer camp where you'll be staying is there, at the base of the mountain," she told them and Gray felt the dread that was building only increase.

That was far. But then again, training. That was the purpose after all.

"Um, so why did we stop all the way up here instead?" Uraraka asked and Gray sighed.

"I think we all know the answer to that," She said as she adjusted her hood again. Astolfo sighed, shrugging and shaking his head as Satou grimaced. Strained smiles were worn by a number of the boys as Sero edged towards the bus.

"The current time is nine-thirty in the morning," the woman continued with a grin, her tail flicking. "If you're fast enough, you might make it there by noon."

"Oh no…" she heard Kirishima say as he and the others turned to run back to the bus. Astolfo sighed again from where he was next to her.

"Kitties that don't make it there by twelve-thirty don't get any lunch!" the hero added as Gray and Astolfo watched their classmates run past Aizawa.

"You should've guessed, students," Aizawa said as the blue-clad one leaped over their heads, grinning as she landed in front of them. "Your training camp has already begun."

Astolfo turned to Gray, giving her a salute. "It's been an honor."

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked before the ground erupted under them and tossed the students over the edge of the outlook.

"What the heck!?" she heard Uraraka cry from next to her as they were tossed over.

"She must be controlling the ground!" Midoriya responded before yelping as he followed suit. Gray landed on her feet, her arms out as she caught Asui and then fell as Jiro landed on her. The Earphone Jack girl rolled off, murmuring an apology as Add cursed and spat dirt out fo his mouth. Gray set Asui on her feet and the girl gave her a soft 'kero' in thanks.

"Good news!" a voice said from above and she looked up, seeing the red-clad hero gazing down at them with a smile. "Since this is private land, you can use your Quirks to your hearts' content! You have three full hours, you should be able to make it to the camp in due time. That is…. if you can make it through the Beast Forest."

"We just have to make it through, then?" Astolfo asked and Gray nodded, unhooking Add from her cloak.

"Should be easy enough," she added before Aizawa peered down at them.

"Gray, Astolfo," he called, "No cheating. That means no full-powered Holy Spear."

"Hey! That's not fair!" Astolfo huffed as he gazed up, "But fine… if that's how it's gonna be, then…" he grinned before he materialized his lance with a flourish. "We'll just have to deal with the trials— Old school style!"

"Right," Gray said, "Add!"

 **"Yeah, yeah,"** The mystic code said before his eyes flashed and he transformed into a scythe.

"How do we keep falling for Aizawa's little tricks…" Jiro asked as she stood. The others were pulling themselves to their feet as well, brushing their uniforms off.

"Guess there's no use complaining, though," Kirishima sighed. "Let's get this over with…"

"We should have the ranged in the back, non-combinational in the middle and the close combat in the front," Gray suggested, "Bakugou, Todoroki, and myself should probably lead since we have abilities that can go either way—"

She was cut off as Mineta ran off, looking for a place to use the bathroom.

"That was a good plan," Astolfo told her and she just shrugged.

"I was just thinking about what Chiron would do. It's tactics and all of that. Better to guard the non-combinational and the ranged fighters than let them get taken out immediately," she said before they both looked over, hearing Sero and Kaminari scream.

A beast was emerging from the forest and those closest shifted into battle stances.

"A beast?" Astolfo asked before Kouda ran forwards.

"Please calm yourself forest beast," he said frantically, "Just calm down and fall back pleased!" The beast didn't listen to the animal-voice Quirk user, instead bringing its claw down towards Mineta. Midoriya shot past, grabbing the boy before it made contact.

"It's not listening, Kouda!" the Rider yelled as he and Gray both ran past him. Others soon joined them, entering into combat with the beast.

It wasn't alive, that was for sure, meaning that it had to have been created with a Quirk.

One of the heroes from before, then? Gray would assume so as she and Bakugou tore through the first beast. Todoroki had frozen it in place, making it easier to hit. She and Bakugou landed before Midoriya and Iida finished it off, but she wasn't watching, instead of gazing into the forest.

"You guys finished it off without a sweat," Satou praised.

"It was awesome!" Sero added before Astolfo walked over.

"We're not finished," he said as another beast burst from the ground. It wasn't the only one as more and more joining them.

"Oh come on!" Kaminari cried. "Don't you think this is a little unfair?"

"What now? Do we run?"

"Not good… if we don't get there in time, we won't get lunch!"

"That's right!" Yaoyorozu said, "We have no choice but to cut through these woods in the shortest possible route." The others nodded as they glanced to each other and Astolfo grinned.

"Normally, I'd ask Gray to just blast the way through, but Aizawa put a handicap on her," he said, "Let's go, Class A!"

"Yeah!"

In an instant, the class split into smaller groups with Shouji and Jiro acting as look-outs. In total, the two had located seven on their way and Sero wasted no time taking down the airborne beast that was the first to arrive.

The black-haired boy brought it to the ground with a thud before Kirishima and Satou took care of it. Not too far away, Ojiro and Tokoyami unbalanced another, leaving Ayoma to blast it to bits with his Naval Laser.

Astolfo dodged out of the way of a massive fist before he ducked between another's legs. He ran past Mineta as the boy stuck it in place and he slapped hands with Kaminari. "Your turn!"

"Right!" the blonde said with a grin, running up the beasts back.

 **"1.3 Million volts!"** he cried, discharging electricity and frying the beast from the inside out.

"Take care of Kaminari!" Astolfo yelled to Mineta before he took off, joining the girls in tag-teaming two others with Kouda and Gray. Both he and Ashido unbalanced them as Gray, Kouda, and Hagakure distracted them.

"Get down!" Yaoyorozu called and they hit the ground. The black-haired girl fired two blasts from the canon she created, taking the two beasts down without a second thought. Nearby, Asui and Uraraka made quick work of the one they were fighting before Shouji announced that there were more on the way.

Bakugou and Todoroki made quick work of one, Bakugou yelling the entire time while Midioriya and Iida smashed another.

"Let keep moving forward!" Astolfo yelled back as he and Gray followed the four boys. The class stuck to small groups as they ran, breaking away to quickly deal with a cluster of beasts before rejoining them.

It was well past noon when Astolfo gauged that they were about three-fourths of the way there. The number of beasts they had been dealing with had been steady up until a while ago before they suddenly stopped.

"Keep your guard up still!" Astolfo called back as they ran. Souji's eyes and ears were all on high alert to check for other beasts nearby.

"Astolfo!" Souji called up, "I spot one up ahead! It's massive!"

"How big?" Gray asked before a roar shook the forest. "That answers that question then."

The group skid to a halt as a towering beast rose from the forest and Astolfo's eyes widened before he grinned.

"What!? That thing's huge!" Mineta cried, "No way! We can't fight that thing! We'll die!"

"Any ideas, Midoriya? Gray? Astolfo?" Iida asked as he ignored the purple-haired boy's cries as they backed up.

Astolfo gazed at it before he summoned Hippogriff. "I have one," he told them. "Let Gray and I lead the charge, we'll need back up of course, but I've got a plan." Gray gave him a look before she nodded and he climbed onto the beast. Iida and Midoriya looked at each other before nodding.

"Just give us the word," Midoriya said before the students backed up and out of the way of the two servants.

"We'll need ranged support, keep it busy!" Astolfo called before he took off. Tokoyami and Jiro wasted no time attacking with their ranged quirks, Bakugou and Todoroki blasting its side with flames and explosions. Gray waited for a moment before her eyes flashed and she took off, slashing and attacking the beast with her scythe. She was a blur as she moved, expertly dodging both her classmates and the beast's attacks.

Astolfo circled above them, eyes trained on the ground and attacking the upper body with his lance. The beast raised its arm, swiping at him and he barely dodged the strike with a yelp.

"Yikes! This is too much like fighting Avicibron's Noble Phantasm!" he uttered as it turned its attacks onto Gray again.

"Midoriya!" he called down, "You and Iida back Gray up! I need it unbalanced!"

"Right!" both boys yelled before joining Gray in the close combat battle. Bakugou seemed less than happy as he fired off more explosions.

Midoriya and Iida slammed into it, making it stagger back and when one leg left the ground, Astolfo saw his chance.

"Get back!" he ordered before his lance flashed. Hippogriff's wings folded and dove. The light around him flashed and sparked with energy and like a blazing comet, he pierced through the remaining leg.

 ** _"Trap of Argalia!"_** He cried, "Gray, now!" "Right!" she nodded as he shot past her. Add had already collapsed back into a cube before releasing the second stage. The mana output was lessened, but still powerful as her hand glowed. She shifted her footing before she thrust her hand forward. A low level of Rhongomyniad was released, blasting the beast in half.

The halves crashed down and kicked up a plume of dirt and dust that the others shielded their eyes from. She shifted Add back to a scythe as they did.

"No time to rest!" Astolfo said as he dropped down and vanished Hippogriff. "Let's keep going!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apocrypha reference. Anyways, we're back to normal and all that jazz.


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Promised that you would get this chapter and here we are. A side note, I'm on break this week so you might also get two chapters this week as well. I have a lot of these as drafts and almost ready to go already, so we'll just have to see.

They arrived at the camp around five, worn out with bodies strained and bruised. Hippogriff ended up being summoned again and was carrying a very nauseous Uraraka and strained Kouda. Gray had Iida's arm around her shoulder as she helped him walk, his engines emitting puffs of smoke and Astolfo had Jiro and Kaminari both leaning against him. Shouji had Yaoyorozu, Ashido, and Ayoma in his arms while Sero was being dragged through the dirt on Add's shield form, the last of his tape wrapped around Hippogriff's legs. Even the phantasmal beast and Mystic Code were exhausted as they neared the camp.

As soon as they got close enough to the two Pussycats and Aizawa, the students collapsed. Hippogriff landed and Uraraka and Kouda tumbled off of it before the beast vanished.

"Looks like there wasn't much point in threatening to deprive you of lunch," the blonde said with a grin.

"Little over three hours my ass," Sero groaned from where he had rolled off of Add. The mystic code reassembled back into his cube form and Gray leaned over to pick him up. Astolfo slumped over her back with a low groan and she let out a small 'oof', stumbling before she reached up and pat his cheek. There had been two more of the giant beasts, which had forced the students to their limits.

"I'm gonna starve to death…." Kirishima groaned and the brown-haired Pussycat (Mandalay, if she remembered what Midoriya had told them all. The blonde was Pixie-Bob) shrugged. "Whoops, my bad!" she said, "I meant by our standards."

Astolfo raised a hand. "If I was allowed to I could do it in less."

"You brat!" Pixie-Bob huffed before she grinned. "Honestly, I thought you'd take longer~ To have figured out my Earth Beasts so quickly and easily… You guys are good! Especiaaaaally, you six!"

She startled as Pixie-bob pointed at her, Iida, Astolfo, Todoroki, Midoriya, and Bakugou.

"I'm anxious to see what'll become of you all in three years! I'm gonna groom you pretty kitties my self!" she exclaimed, leaping at them. "You know! I'm not usually the type to go for girlies but you are just too cute!"

Gray yelped as her hood was tossed back and cheeks squished by the hyper blonde. Astolfo laughed as his were pinched lightly, too.

"Speaking of age—" Midoriya started before he was shut up again by Pixie-Bob's hand slamming into his face.

"Choose your next words wisely!" she ordered and the green-haired boy yelped.

"I-I've just been wondering for a while…." he said, pointing to the child that was glaring at them. "Are one of you guys that kid's mother?"

Mandalay blinked. "Oh, no. That kid's my nephew. He lives here now." She motioned to the boy. "Kouta, come say 'hi', you're going to be living with them for the next week."

The boy scowled as Midoriya walked over to him, holding his hand out.

"Hi, my name's Midoriya," he said, "I'm studying to become a hero. It's nice to meet you."

The boy barely hesitated before punching the green-haired youth in the groin. A collective wince came from most of the boys in the class.

"Midoriya!" Iida cried and Astolfo grimaced.

"Yikes," he said, "Going for a below the belt hit? That's just cruel."

Gray just gave him a sympathetic smile.

"The last thing I wanna do is to hang with some wannabe heroes!" the boy growled and Iida huffed from where he had moved to Midoriya's side.

"'Wannabe'? How old are you?"

Bakugou smirked, shifting a bit. "That brat's got spunk."

"He's like a mini version of you," Todoroki said flatly before he ducked behind Gray as Bakugou's ire peaked again and he started yelling at him. Astolfo laughed as Gray shot him a helpless look.

At this point, she just tuned Bakugou out, but this was the first time Todoroki had used her as a shield.

"Enough playing around," Aizawa said, making them look over to him. "Get your bags out of the bus. Once you've settled in your rooms, grab dinner in the dining hall. After that, take a bath, kick back, and unwind. The real deal starts tomorrow. Get a move on it."

"Yes, sir!"

(x)

Astolfo decided that the boys who didn't know needed a surprise for the night.

He had contemplated going to the girl's side of the hot springs since all of the girls in the class were aware of his true gender and didn't really mind. It probably helped that he told them he wasn't into any of them aside from friends. No use in romance when he could be back in the throne in a few weeks. Or alive longer then they would be.

In the end, though, he had politely turned down the girls' offers to join them in their side of the hot spring.

Humming as he undressed on the boys' side, Astolfo listened in on some of the conversations. The boys seemed to be enjoying the bath as it relaxed their muscles. He knew for a fact that Iida, Ojiro, Kirishima, Satou, and Iida would be very grateful for the warm water— being a close combat fighter was one thing, but he couldn't imagine getting as physical in combat as they did.

"What we seek is beyond this wall…." he heard Mineta say as he quietly slid the door open and stepped in. Almost all the boys were either focused on the little pervert or had their backs to the door. Tokoyami and Kouda had their eyes closed, so the only one who saw him enter was Bakugou. The blonde knew he was male, so Astolfo didn't really care, silently slipping into the water as Mineta rambled on about the girls on the other side. Something about Yaoyorozu's big breasts, Ashido's slender waist, and Gray's porcelain skin. Also his own 'cute' ones.

Okay, gross.

"You really need to restrain yourself, Mineta," he called after a bit more of listening to the boy ramble. Nearly all the boys in the bath froze. Todoroki continued his soaking, Bakugou didn't bother looking over, nor did Iida, or Midoriya, but the others did. Kaminari, Kirishima, and Satou went bright red. Mineta's eyes widened before he started drooling.

Double gross.

"H-Hey," Kirishima said, swallowing. "Y- you do realize this is the guys' bath, right, Astolfo?"

"Yep," the Rider said, giving him a grin and a peace sign. The water was up to his mid-chest where he was sitting and while most of his long hair was pinned back, some was loose and hiding the rest of his chest. He still looked like a girl to them, then? Well, that could be solved with a few words.

"O-oh. Okay… j-just checking." the redhead said before he sunk into the water. Mineta edged over to him, fingers wiggling before Astolfo tilted his head back, glancing up at him.

"You know, there've been more villains arrested for sexual assault and harassment than you'd think," he said before his grin became dangerous. "Just so you know, I'm a guy."

There was a beat of silence before all hell broke loose among the boys who didn't know.

Bakugou continued to soak in peace.

"You've been a guy this entire time!?" Kaminari cried, "Dammit! And l thought I was finally making headway with a girl!"

"As if any girl would be cozy with you, Denki," Sero groaned, "I can't believe I didn't realize it!"

"I don't mean to be rude, but are you some sort of crossdresser, then?" Satou asked, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Why aren't you a bit surprised, Midoriya?" Ojiro asked, scratching his cheek.

"Oh, I knew," he said with a smile as Mineta fell to his hands and knees in shame. Astolfo grinned, turning to the tailed boy.

"Yep," he said, "Iida and Bakugou, and Shouji, but he's not here, all learned themselves. Midoriya, Tokoyami, and Todoroki found out through listening." he shrugged. "I wear dresses and skirts because I want to, not 'cause I want to be a girl."

"Do all the girls know too?" Sero asked and he nodded.

"Mhm, Yaomomo and Tsuyu learned real quick, they told the rest of the girls, save Gray. She knew from the start," he told them. "I told them not to tell you guys because I want people to find out on their own. It's fun that way!"

"Um, fun's not the way I'd put it…" the black-haired boy said with a sigh. Astolfo shrugged before his eyes narrowed, hearing Iida start to yell as Mineta started climbing the spring wall. The purple-haired boy had recovered fast and moved towards his original objective, it seemed.

"He doesn't learn, does he?" Astolfo sighed as the purple-haired menace neared the top. Kouta popped up from the divider, a familiar-looking cube in one hand.

"Before you become a hero," the child said, "Learn to be a decent human."

Kouta smacked Mineta off the wall as Add bounced a bit.

 **"Gihihihi! Let that be a lesson, you grape brat!"** He jeered, **"Take one look at Gray and I'll have Astolfo claw your eyes out, have Hippogriff bite of your dick and then feed it to the dogs!"**

"I'll do it, too!" Astolfo called over as Mineta fell.

"That's enough Add," Gray's voice called from over the wall.

"Mineta's the worst," Asui added with a sigh.

"Thank's Kouta! Add!" Ashido called and Kouta turned, nodding before he froze up.

 **"Ahn? What's wrong kid?"** He asked before Kouta tipped back, a trickle of blood leaving his nose as he fell. Astolfo moved to stand, but Midoriya was faster leaping up and catching the boy. He landed and Astolfo waded over to him, taking one of Kouda's arms and feeling his wrist.

"He's alive," he told Midoriya. "Pulse a bit erratic, but he's fine. You should probably get him to his aunt." Midoriya nodded as the Rider picked Add up from the ground.

"No scratches?" he asked the code.

 **"Nah, is the kid good? Good, put me back on the wall,"** the Mystic Code said and Astolfo chuckled as Midoriya left.

"Yes sir,' He said before he turned to Tokoyami. "Hey, Yami," he said, "I know it's like, super-bright, but any chance that buddy can help us?"

Tokoyami opened one eye up, nodding a bit and Dark Shadow was called out. The shadow picked Add up and carried him to the top of the wall with ease. Add settled there, looking out and over them like some sort of cube overlord.

Astolfo sweat.

Well, at least Mineta wouldn't try anything again.

The Rider wondered if Add could fire condensed beams of mana from his mouth as a cube.

That would be a good way to keep Mineta from trying anything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Praise be to the god of Cubes.


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With the virus spreading around, remember to stay safe and wash your hands and stuff, kiddos. Also dont be racist towards asians

The next morning dawned stupidly bright and early.

The only one who seemed even a little bit awake was Gray, though it was hard to tell with her hood pulled over her face. She could be sleeping under there and no one would know since she was standing upright and silent.

Astolfo felt a bit sorry for Kirishima, Sero, Satou, Kaminari, and Ashido, but he also realized that it was their own faults that got them into the remedial lessons that went past midnight.

The morning of the first day of training started with Bakugou throwing a ball 709.6 meters. That had startled a lot of the others, considering how his record at the beginning of the year wasn't that much lower than the recorded score. Then they had met the other two in the Wild Wild Pussycats— Ragdoll and Tiger. With all four of the Wild Wild Pussycats assembled, they could start the training camp in its fullest.

He liked Ragdoll, her energy was giving him a lot of energy too.

"Looks intense," Astolfo commented to Aizawa, who grunted. No doubt the man was just as exhausted as the other students were.

The pink-haired Rider was taking a break from sparring with Gray as the girl sat in the dirt, arguing with Add about something or another. Add wanted to go visit a crypt of some sorts when camp was over in order to eat, Gray told him that visiting a crypt seemed like a very bad plan for the both of them. The Wild Wild Pussycats were aware of his and Gray's statuses as Heroic Spirits, so they were originally at a loss for what to do in regards to training them. Servants did't get stronger or weaker. They could develop new strategies but the ranks and 'stats' they were given upon materialization were the ones they were stuck with. Or at least, as far as Astolfo knew. Obviously, he could change Classes, and therefore his 'stats' but Gray was probably stuck as she was.

Probably.

Of course, just because they had all of their skills and abilities at their strongest didn't mean they couldn't improve on what they were given. That's why he and Gray had been fighting. Gray wanted to improve the speed in which she could go through Add's weapons while Astolfo wanted to focus on quick Class Changes. He was already pretty good at it (over a hundred years of practice did pay off), but he wanted to go faster and without draining himself of so much energy, he was rusty after all.

He turned, hearing footsteps approach as class 1-B walked up to them. He noticed the wide-eyed looks from the other students as Uraraka tumbled down the mountain again. Ayoma blasted another naval laser shot up into the sky as Kouda screamed at the top of the mountain. The noise was drowned out by Sero and Kaminari's screaming and Bakugou's yells as he blasted the sky. Iida sprinted past them, making a few blink before Astolfo grinned and picked his lance back up.

"Gray!" he called, "Ready for round, what, eight?" he asked.

The Assassin blinked, looking up before she got to her feet and activated Add's scythe form. "Yes!"

"I'm gonna paralyze you this time!" the Rider laughed maniacally before he rushed at her. She dodged the first strike before she spun around and aimed a kick as his head. He dodged that before the two locked weapons.

"One scratch from my lance and you'll be down for the count for a while!" Astolfo sang as he struck Gray's scythe again. She grunted, pushing him off before round-house kicking him in the side.

"Um, is she alright?" one of the class B kids asked as Astolfo landed on the ground, rolling and gazing up at the sky. Gray turned to them, sighing.

"Astolfo's tired, we've all been up since five-thirty," she said before she ducked under a swipe from Astolfo's lance.

"Thaaaaat's right!" Ragdoll said as she appeared out of nowhere. "Four kittens in the same litter!"

Mandalay appeared next to her with a smile. "With sparkling eyes, we rock on!" she said, posing as Ragdoll moved leaped behind her, leaning out.

"We've come to lend a helping paw!"

Tiger and Pixie-Bob also appeared.

"We're champions serving up justice, with our tails!"

"Purrr-fectly cute and cat-like heroes!"

Gray sweat as the four introduced themselves. Mandalay and Pixie-Bob were already a set of personalities, add in Ragdoll and Tiger…?

She didn't dislike them, but she was definitely getting whiplash with both Ragdoll and Tiger hovering near Astolfo and her as they sparred.

Tiger was intense.

She yelped as Astolfo threw his sword at her. It missed her by a hair and lodged in a tree but she didn't have time to dwell on it as the pink-haired Rider rushed at her with his lance again. She dodged and blocked each of his hits before retaliating with her own strikes.

She didn't have any time to stop paying attention to the hyperactively sleep-deprived Rider unless she wanted to get injured.

(x)

Astolfo seemed to have an overabundance of energy and thus Gray found herself lagging after the twelfth spar. The Rider had decided to stop for the day and go help (more likely annoy) the other students while Gray laid on her back in the dirt.

Of course, Aizawa had walked over and asked her what she was doing.

"Astolfo managed to nick my shoulder with his lance," she sighed, "And down I went."

 **"In other words, we're hanging out until it wears off,"** Add added and Aizawa raised a brow.

Gray just gave him a helpless smile.

"Astolfo's a bit over-enthusiastic today," she said, "Though it's only noon, so he might end up without any energy if he comes back down and crashes. He's going around checking everything else out right now too."

The dark-haired man nodded. "I see… Trap of Argalia, then?"

"Not the full Phantasm, he was pulling his punches a bit," she sighed, "But yes. 'Down with a Touch' the favored Jousting Lance of the knight Argalia."

"Well, as long as you're up by four, I don't care. You Servants are leagues ahead of these kids," the hero said flatly as he walked off. Gray sweat but smiled a bit.

"Leagues, huh…" she murmured as she gazed up at the sky. "You have a lot of faith in us…"

She closed her eyes for a moment, opening them again as a Bakugou screamed at the sky again.

For some reason, she had a strange sinking feeling in her stomach.

She hoped that it was just the fact that the students would be making dinner tonight and nothing else.

But deep down she had a feeling that something was just going to go wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a heads up, as fun as it would be to see the kidnapping of one King Explosion Murder, the next few chapters will be Chiron-centric again. Partially because uhhhhh suspense and partially because I just don't want to. There's some shit that goes down though.


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I turned everything back to public because I haven't heard anything on the app issue, but also like, ahahaha. I felt bad. Anyways, I'm stressed as all hell so you guys can have this early. Everything else for this book is pretty much edited and stuff, so all that matters is getting it posted every Friday as usual. Please be safe with the virus spreading.

Chiron was exhausted.

Physically, he was fine. Slightly singed and he was certain that he looked like a mess, but fine nonetheless.

Mentally though? That was a whole different question.

Since the incident with Stain, Chiron had ended up with his free time divided between two very different men as his two personal projects.

One was Yagi Toshinori, who he had originally been working with from the beginning of the year. He had found that the blonde hero had untapped magical potential and with All for One at the edges of their senses, he wanted those dormant circuits working at full capacity. Heroes weren't one-trick ponies and if All Might could startle All for One enough by pulling his punches back and activating magic, that would be enough time for Chiron to get in a well-timed snipe to the head.

He also wanted to monitor his physical condition. He had developed a medicine that was for Yagi only, something that would keep him from dying as early as the blonde had predicted. It had extended his time at the cost of the man's strength, but it was hardly noticeable to the public eye. Chiron had a theory about One for All, but he'd have to look into it later— and ask Recovery Girl about it as well. Through medical examinations, he had discovered that the man only had one scar— a rarity for Heroes, even more so for one who was always so physical and practically in the thick of it all the time. That scar was the one that all but put a glaringly bright time stamp on his lifespan. There was a high chance that his current, skeletal form and the man's quirk were more connected than originally perceived. Still, that theory was something he'd have to look into much later.

The other person he was training was very different. He too had very strong circuits that had been dormant, but his attitude was standoffish at best and downright hostile at worst. His temper was as quick to flare up as his Quirk. This one was also getting a sped-up version of the training he had given Yagi, since Chiron wanted him ready as soon as possible.

This other man was Todoroki Enji.

And the two heroes did not get along with each other— well, Yagi tried to, the Elder Todoroki did not. Chiron suspected that their interactions were worse than the ones between Astolfo and Mordred.

Thank the gods he kept them separated, but the mere fact that Enji knew he was also working with Yagi drove the Flame Hero to push himself to the max. And by default, Chiron.

"Are you alright, Chiron?" Yagi asked as he walked over, setting the silver sword down on the ground before sitting next to him.

Chiron sighed, resting his head back against the wall. The two were currently in Gym Gamma and away from prying eyes. Ishiyama hadn't questioned them when they asked to use the gym, which was a relief.

The less who knew the better.

"Oh, yes," he said with a slight smile. "Just recovering from Endeavor, mostly." Yagi chuckled.

"That's right, you're also training him too, aren't you?"

"Mm. The both of you have insanely strong Circuits for not having them active at all, I'm just surprised neither of you showed any output of magic before now. You're both progressing nicely, but Endeavor seems to want to burn as bright as the Phantasm I'm lending him, without using it."

"Sounds rough," Yagi sighed as he picked his water bottle. "Todoroki always was like that, though."

Chiron nodded, silent for a bit. "I lectured the hell out of him a while ago, though," he said, "Actually, the first day of training was all lecture."

Yagi blinked, coughing a bit and wiping his mouth of blood. "I'm surprised he took that sitting down." The Archer sighed and the hero laughed. "That bad, huh?"

"He certainly wasn't overly happy about me tearing into him," he said with a hum. "But, if he wasn't coming to me in order to become stronger for Shoto, he probably wouldn't have listened." Yagi seemed surprised as he took another drink of his water.

"He came to you about Young Todoroki?" he asked and Chiron nodded.

"Yes. After the Stain incident," he said. "I had planned to have a word with him, but he came to me first." He paused before he sighed, gazing down at his hands.

"For people who are truly human, I think… that parents often don't realize what they'd be loosing until its almost gone— or worse, it is gone."

He rested his head back against the wall of the gym with another sigh. "Like you, I realize that Todoroki's lost one son already, and while I don't condone how he treated any of his children, I think there's no better time than now to reform. Todoroki realized something that day— if it hadn't been for Astolfo, the chance of Stain killing his son would have been much greater than before."

"So he came to you when he realized that you were Astolfo's caretaker?" Yagi asked and Chiron nodded.

"He recognized me from the first half of the Sports Festival as well," he said, "He wanted to know who I was, who Astolfo was. Obviously, I threatened him with bodily harm if he let our Servant status slip to the general public, but I did tell him. As soon as I started talking about Servants, though, he put two and two together— I had told the Embassy that the top ten heroes could know about Servants, after all. Since magic was already known, why not Servants for a select few? Anyways, he figured it out with only a few hints," The Archer told him, shaking his head before he continued.

"Then I lectured him until it sunk in that he could've lost his son that day— and that boy would have still loathed him with all his being. I told him about how both my parents abandoned me and how the heroes of ancient days would flourish under a good parent's hand— even if that parent wasn't their blood relative I told him that everything that he had done could have pushed any one of his kids to villainy, or worse, suicide," Chiron rubbed his forehead, sighing again. "I didn't take him under my teaching at first," he admitted, "After I lectured him, I told him to go back and think about everything. Why was he a hero? What was he putting his life on the line for? I told him that if I didn't like his answer, he'd be turned away again."

Yagi nodded. "So he actually did it?"

"I want to think so," he said with a hum. "He came to me about a week later. He told me that he wanted to be number one and I almost turned him away then and there."

"But you didn't?" the skeletal Symbol of Peace asked and Chiron shook his head.

"He wasn't finished. He told me that even though he still was aiming for the top, he also wanted to be a man that his youngest son could look up to," he said, brushing a hand through his hair. "Someone strong the masses can rely on. I don't know if he feels that way fully, but we'll work on that. Baby steps, after all. He's as stubborn as some of my past students, but I'll make sure to set him straight. Of course, he was pissed off when he learned that his first day was just more lecturing."

He chuckled and Yagi smiled, chuckling a bit as well. "If you don't mind me asking, though," the blonde said, "How far along is Todoroki?"

Chiron hummed, thinking for a moment. "He needs work," he said, "His circuits are as awakened as yours, considering how I used the same method, but he… needs work with a lance. In truth, he can't use one to save his life…" he sighed, hanging his head in defeat. "Oh sure, he can control Karna's flames no problem, but all he needs a lot more practice with the lance."

"Oh?" Yagi blinked and Chiron nodded a bit.

"I suppose when the time comes, he just has to release the Phantasm, but it never hurts to be prepared," he said before he checked the time. "Oh, it's this late already…"

He stood, stretching. "Alright, enough time spent on a break," he said as Yagi stood as well. "Let's see what you can do."

The blonde picked the greatsword up again with a determined look as Chiron summoned Mordred's Clarent to his own hands. He wasn't the best with a sword, but Yagi knew better than to underestimate the Archer. That sword could be dropped in an instant and suddenly he'd have a hand-to-hand combat fight instead of a swordfight.

"Strike when you're ready, Yagi, and don't hold back," he ordered before he shifted his footing.

The blonde man nodded, adjusting his stance before he swung the blade.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, Chiron is training Enji and Toshinori to take on actual, magic work. All will be revealed in time and while I know that we'd like to see that conversation between Enji and Chiron, it's not in the plans as of yet. Since Endeavor isn't a main focus or character in this story, he won't be getting a major role, but you can see how the Todoroki house is changing through Shoto's interactions with Gray and the others if you look real close.
> 
> Anyways. The real business starts next chapter. Get ready for the Raid.


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So my college sent everyone home because of the virus. Just a reminder to be safe. I'm probably going to start posting my Demon Slayer and Fate fanfiction today as well, so ye. That one's gonna have a slower schedule.

_Swish._

Chiron's leg swung out as he kicked empty air. He fist was thrown next as he repeated a one-man Pankration routine.

Hit. Doge then kick.

For the first time in ages, Chiron felt powerless.

The news of the attack on the training camp had hit like a truck and left Chiron with what felt to be the world pulled out from under his feet. A lost, empty feeling that pooled into dread.

Of course, that dread soon turned into rage.

From what Kan's report said, twelve students had injuries that ranged from minor to severe. Astolfo was one, currently in the hospital with broken ribs. He was healing quickly and was already ready to get back on his feet and fight.

Pixie-Bob had been seriously injured as well and was in critical condition.

Thirteen students were unharmed, which was a relief but…

Chiron took a breath as he paused his shadow boxing, gazing down at his hands.

Ragdoll was missing. As soon as he saw the smoke, Astolfo had taken off to find her in the woods. He had arrived in time to face down a Nomu that had appeared from nowhere, the boy had told him. It had been stronger than any others that he had fought and by the gods did he and Ragdoll fight. But he lost, the Nomu got Ragdoll after seriously injuring them both.

If that wasn't bad enough two students were missing.

Bakugou Katsuki was one.

Gray was the other.

Chiron didn't know if Gray was just in the wrong place at the wrong time and ended up getting swept along with Bakugou or if the League of Villains had been after her from the start as well. He hoped it was the first option. Kan suspected it was such, as Bakugou and Gray had been paired up for the Test of Courage training activity, but it was worrying either way. If All for One had a traitor in the school, which was likely, the Villain could already know of the Servant status of Gray. She could have been a target for that reason.

But it could simply have been a case of wrong place, wrong time. He wasn't sure.

He wasn't sure and it was frustrating.

He could sense Gray still, just on the edges of his mind. She was still alive, so the League wasn't planning on killing them— yet.

He just couldn't do anything. He had been blocked from all sides when he made a move to go get her back. The Heroes wanted to plan, Aizawa said, and Nezu held him back. But only because Ishiyama and Inui grabbed onto the Centaur when he was about to lash out in retaliation to being told he couldn't go. The Police wouldn't let him move without them. It was ridiculous, he could put an end to the entire thing in minutes, but he was being held back. 

He slammed his fist into the wall of his apartment, holding it there as he trembled, remembering what had happened just hours before. Currently, a meeting was going on, but he had only cast a resentful look at the Cheif of Police, ignoring Yagi and Nezu, before he left. Nezu had let him, believing that it was best to let him be alone than to be volatile in a place he didn't want to be in. An unhappy servant was not a good servant if they had no master to keep them in control.

Still...

There would be no taking All for One alive after this.

"I'll make sure he's dead," he uttered before he glanced at his phone as it rang. The Archer uncurled his first, feeling his anger subside for the time being. He grimaced at the cracks in the wall before he walked to where he had placed his cellphone on the coffee table.

"Hello?" he answered cautiously. He knew he was missing a staff meeting over at UA and the ringtone that had sounded wasn't the one for Astolfo. The number wasn't the one for the hospital either.

 **"Is this the Archer of Black?"** a man's voice asked from the other end and Chiron narrowed his eyes. He vaguely recognized it, but he couldn't be too sure.

"Can I inquire who's asking?" he prompted.

 **"Oh, right, sorry, I'm Detective Tsukauchi Naomasa,"** the man said.

"Yagi's detective friend," he remembered, "What is it that you need me for?"

**"We have speculation on where the League of Villains' whereabouts."**

Chiron froze before a rush of magical energy swirled around him. Glass cracked and his eyes hardened as he shifted into his true form.

"Where," he hissed, "Where are they?"

 **"Calm down Archer,"** Tsukauchi said, **"I've got a team ready for a raid…"**

There was some noise on the other end of the line before the detective spoke up again. **"Meet All Might, Endeavor, Edgeshot, Kamui Woods, Gran Torino and myself outside the bar near the Niku sign in the Kamino Ward."**

"Not very specific, but I'll meet you there," he growled before he hung up.

He tossed his phone back onto the table before he vanished in a shower of golden sparks.

(x) 

His pacing was agitating everyone outside the bar. Tsukauchi and Endeavor were both watching his shadow pace as he moved from one area to the next on top of the building next to the bar. The officers outside were growing agitated as well.

It wasn't long before All Might, Eadgeshot, Kamui Woods and Gran Torino arrived.

"Ready?" Tsukauchi asked the pros and Edgeshot responded by folding his body so thin it was impossible to see. The ninja-like hero took off, slipping through the doors and defenses unnoticed.

All Might and Kamui Woods leaped up to where Chiron was waiting, the blonde hero just barely giving him a nod. Gran Torino joined them not a moment later, grimacing at the dark look on the Archer's face.

It wasn't a secret that Chiron wasn't happy.

He had been briefed on the plan by Tsukauchi as soon as he arrived, and logically speaking he knew that he was better suited for ranged support. But he still felt the need to be up there with them for the initial attack.

Endeavor felt the same way, flexing his fingers as he grasped an invisible lance before releasing it.

All Might shifted and Chiron raised his bow.

"Go," he said, seeing the barest hint of Edgeshot's red scarf from a crack in the wall. The signal was sent.

All Might leaped forwards, smashing through the wall of the bar with a signature cry of **"SMASH!"**

Kamui Woods leaped after him, arms extended as the debris cleared and his wooden limbs entrapped the villains in the bar. **_"Lacquered Chains Prison!"_**

Gran Torino rocketed from his spot next to him as one of the Villains started to ignite with blue flames. It only took one kick to the head from the older man to send the scarred man into a dazed slump.

He let a breath out, firing off arrows and pinning the clothes of the villains whose clothes allowed it to any surface they were near to.

"This time around we won't be careless," Edgeshot said as he slipped into the room, resuming a more 3D form before he opened the door. "The pizza delivery is not just us," the Ninja Hero said as the special police force was spotted outside the door.

Endeavor's heat flared and Chiron managed a slightly amused smile to slip past his mask of rage. His eyes landed on Gray, whose hood was down and a golden glow was in her hand. Bakugou was also in a fighting stance, though it was dropped as All Might turned to him.

Gray didn't relax, shoulders tense as she shifted her footing. Chiron didn't lower his bow, eyes narrowed.

"IM NOT SCARED! I'M FUCKING CALM, DAMMIT!" Bakugou yelled and Gray just gave the blonde man a sheepish smile. Even from his position, he could hear all the yelling.

"KUROGIRI!" Shigaraki yelled, "BRING OVER AS MANY AS YOU CAN!"

"The nomu right?" Chiron asked as he leaped into the room, bow still in hand.

He gave Kurogiri and Shigraki a chilling smile and he was certain that they finally realized how much shit they had gotten themselves in.

It helped that none of the nomu that Shigaraki requested were making an appearance.

"What are you waiting for!?" the white-haired villain hissed and Kamui Woods tightened his bonds on Kurogiri.

"I- I'm sorry, Shigaraki Toumra," the warpgate villain said, "The nomus should be at a set location, but they're not there!"  
"They aren't there!?"

"You really are just a child," Chiron sighed as he wrapped his arm around Gray's shoulders. He felt her relax just a bit, Add returning to his cube form.

"You, League of Villains, underestimated far too many things," All Might said, protectively placing a hand on Bakugou's shoulder.

"Indeed... This boy's spirit, this girl's determination, the diligent investigation of the police force…. and **our fury."** Chiron's eyes flashed as he spoke, the rage of the son of Kronos evident in his eyes as he gazed at the villains evenly. A sudden pressure seeming to exude from the Servant made a few of the villains gasp and a couple of the glasses in the bar cracked.

"I hope you realize what you've done," He continued, his smile not leaving his face as he gazed at them.

"No more games," All Might added, "It ends here, Shigaraki Tomura!"

"All Might! This is the hero that Stain was after—" a lizard-like villain gasped and Shigaraki leaned forwards.

"It ends here, you say…?" he hissed, "Don't joke with me when we've only gotten started! Justice, peace… this rubbish heap society capped by such vague concepts… I will destroy it and I'll start by removing the cap that is All MIght! I'll take down you too, Archer! I've only just begun to gather comrades! Kurogi—!"

The white-haired villain was cut off as Edgeshot pierced through the warpgate villain.

The shadowy man slumped over.

"Gyaah!? What just happened!? I couldn't see anything! Did they just kill him!?" one of the villains asked before Edgeshot snaked out from his folded position, his head reappearing.

"I just played around with his insides a little bit," the hero told her loftily, "He won't die. This one was the most troublesome of them all. Such a nuisance."

Chiron tore his eyes from the villains as Gran Torino started talking, feeling Gray start to tremble, her hands curling into his tunic.

"Gray?" he asked softly, gazing down at her.

The Assassin Class Servant swallowed, sweat beading her forehead as Shigaraki started screeching.

Something was wrong.

"S-Sen-sei—" she whimpered before black liquid bubbled up from past her lips. At once, Nomu burst into the room, seeming to come from a similar liquid and the liquid from Gray's lips started to envelop her. Chiron tightened his grip on her, eyes widening.

"Gray!"

"They just keep appearing!"

"Edgeshot, I thought you had him contained!"

"It's not him! He's not doing anything!"

A strangled cry left Gray before she vanished— warped away by another. Bakugou wasn't too far behind as All Might grasped at empty air.

"Bakugou—!"

Yells from outside made Chiron break from where he was staring at the black liquid.

"Take care of everything in here!" he told Gran Torino, pushing down the dread that built in his stomach as he leaped out of the hole in the bar's wall. Nomu were bursting from portals made of the liquid and onto the street. Tsukauchi, Endeavor, and the police were having a hard time containing them, the police firing rounds at them as Endeavor blasted them with flames, Tsukauchi ducking out of the way and firing his own handgun.

"Endeavor! I release the seal on the Noble Phantasm I've granted you! Use the flames of the sun that the Legend Karna has granted you Mastery over!" he yelled as he released his arrows, skillfully missing the police but laying waste to the Nomu.

"No need to say it twice!" the Flame Hero roared as the golden-colored lance appeared in his hand.

"Just— be careful!" the Archer added as he landed, firing another round of arrows at the Nomu nearby.

"Archer! I can't get in contact with Jeanist!" Tsukauchi called, "What about Rider!?"

Chiron stiffened before he extended his senses.

Astolfo's spirit signature was still there, weak, but there.

"Alive!" the Archer reported, dodging a swipe from an airborne nomu. He easily brought it down with an arrow through the eye and into the brain.

"Head that direction! The operation failed!" the detective added and Chiron nodded, glancing over his shoulder at All Might. The blonde nodded a bit as well before he left in a burst of speed.

Chiron took off after him, easily matching All Might's speed.

"I'm releasing the seal on the Noble Phantasm I've granted you," he called over the wind, "You have the sword of the Dragon Slayer Siegfried at your fingertips! Use it when the time is right! I'm going on ahead of you! Don't take too long!"

The Archer didn't wait for a response as he took off with another burst of speed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The fight's begun. Originally it was just going to be Bakugou but I needed an excuse to get every one of the Servants onto the battlefield at all once. Gray vanishing with Bakugou, Astolfo being with Jeanist, and Chiron arriving would bring them all there at the same time. Or you know, close to the same time.


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Raid Part Two Electric Boogaloo. Things are happenin'! Posting this early because it's done.

Astolfo knew he wasn't up to one hundred percent but still ended up agreeing to Best Jeanist's request for aid.

Red Beryl must have told him she met him and the hero had put the pieces together easily. The top ten heroes were all given information on the Servants after the USJ incident, so it didn't matter that much to him that he, nor Red Beryl, had figured it out. The rest of the Raid Team ended up learning about it too, but as long as it was contained, it shouldn't matter too much.

Chiron had been hesitant at first, and rightfully so, but agreed when Astolfo had asked him over the mental link. And with that done, Astolfo had turned his back to his friends without a definite answer when they asked where he was going. Guilt pooled in his chest when he ignored their questions on where he was going in his battle attire, but he did what he had to. They were still kids after all and for them to get involved would only end up in unnecessary injuries— and only if they were lucky.

"These guys are kinda gross," Mt. Lady complained as she held onto and pinned down several other nomu.

"Their brains are exposed," Astolfo said as Hippogriff pinned another down, his lance stuck through a second and keeping it still. "But, this is pretty important."

The giantess stuck her tongue out as Gang Orca held onto another nearby. "I know but still, don't you and Jeanist feel like it's a bit beneath you? I mean, you two are, like, a top hero and a Servant."

"Nah," Astolfo said, watching as Best Jeanist rounded up the last of the Nomu. "All I really care about is that Gray, Bakugou, and Ragdoll are okay." He turned, glancing over his shoulder at Tiger and Gang Orca. The brown-haired man was holding Ragdoll protectively to his chest as the killer-whale like man watched over them.

"What have they done to you, Ragdoll?" Tiger cried, holding her close as the green-haired woman's head lolled back. Astolfo grimaced. He liked Ragdoll, to see her in such an empty and unresponsive state was awful. He felt as if it was partially his fault that she was like this, too. If he only had been stronger then maybe...

"Apologies, Tiger. I had found her Quirk quite useful a long time ago," a new voice answered, making the Rider's head snap up as he felt his blood run cold. "Since the opportunity fell into my lap, I took it."

"Stop right there, don't move!" Gang Orca ordered as he moved up next to Best Jeanist and himself.

"Another member of the league, huh?" the orca uttered.

"Somebody lend a light!" Tiger called but Astolfo quickly stopped them, holding her lance in front of Gang Orca and Best Jeanist.

"No! Stay back!"

Beast Jeanist seemed to sense the urgency in his voice as the voice continued to talk to them. The blonde reacted quickly, pulling his hand tight and restraining the figure as soon as his foot stepped into the light.

"H-Hold on, Jeanist," Mt. Lady protested, "What if that's a civilian?"

"Think about it," Astolfo said as he gripped Hippogriff's reins. "This situation calls for all caution! He just admitted that he injured Ragdoll!"

"Exactly, a moment of hesitation could decide the fight," Best Jeanist agreed, tightening his hold on the figure. "We can't let these villains try anything!"

Something sparked and Hippogriff reared up with a screech of warning before white light, followed by searing pain, enveloped his senses.

(x)

Astolfo's body ached. No... that wasn't the right term.

Hurt like hell.

Yeah, that was the one.

Astolfo's body hurt like hell as he felt his consciousness return to him.

Of course he had to be the one to run into the one guy that Chiron and Gray had been hunting for. Of course it had to be him when he was focused on making sure that Ragdoll was alright.

But he should've known better.

A sharp cry of pain made Astolfo haul himself from the debris that Best Jeanist had launched him back into. His arms screamed in protest as he watched the blonde hero sump back, stomach torn open.

"No…" he gasped, seeing the man twitch weakly as he collapsed backward onto the ruined pavement. The rest of the Pros with them were all in a state of unconsciousness as well, beaten and bruised.

"I don't need your quirk," the black-clad monster floating before them said and without any other indication, the Rider knew it was him.

All for One.

"It wouldn't fare well with Tomura's disposition," he continued before he landed on the ground.

Astolfo hauled himself to his feet, picking his lance up and drawing the villain's attention to him

"Oh? So the child lives," All for One mused, "Interesting. And you think you can take me on?"

Astolfo panted, gripping his lance with trembling hands before he shifted his footing. "Yeah… I can…" he said, gritting his teeth. The mastermind only seemed amused before an explosion of black liquid made Astolfo break eye contact (or what he assumed to be eye contact) with the villain.

"Dammit!" a familiar blonde coughed. "The hell—!?" Bakugou cursed. Gray followed him, coughing and gasping for breath as she knelt on the ground.

"My apologies, Bakugou," All for One said, "And to you, too… Gray, was it? You weren't supposed to be caught up in this at all. Dear me."

Gray glared up at him as she panted.

"Haah?" Bakugou growled, eyes blazing before more bursts of black liquid made him turn around. He momentarily startled at Astolfo's presence before his eyes landed on the villains appearing between him, Gray, and the Rider.

Astolfo grit his teeth, glancing down at the prone forms of Kurogiri and… Dabi, he thinks the other one is named. He edged over to them, tapping them both with is lance to ensure they didn't move, ignoring All for One's speech.

 _"Gray…. Gray… you have to enter Spirit form as soon as you can… get Bakugou away…"_ he told the Assassin, feeling her nervousness.

 _"I'll try—"_ Gray managed, still gasping for breath as All for One held his hand out to Shigaraki.

"This is all for you," the man said, "Everything is for your sake."

Astolfo tensed before the man swung his arm out, metal rising up and blocking a shower of arrows aimed at him. The Rider grinned. He knew those arrows. He shifted suddenly, rushing forwards with his lance glowing— this was an opening he wasn't going to let slip. The lance just barely grazed Toga and Twice, but that was all he needed as he sent the two down to the ground in a paralyzed state. He reached his hand out, grasping Gray's as she threw her own out to him before the two both leaped away from Compress and Sigaraki.

"You brat!" Shigaraki roared before he dove to the side as more metal flew into the path of arrows. Three weren't intercepted, two piercing Shigraki and one hitting All for One, but it glanced off of the metal collar around his neck. Astolfo shot off again, running towards Bakugou as Gray activated Add.

"Bakugou!" Astolfo cried, reaching his hand out. The blonde's fingertips just barely grazed his before Shigaraki lunged at him again. The Rider twisted out of grasp, kicking the white-haired villain in the side and sending him back. He landed next to Gray, grinning again.

"You're down five, handyman," he taunted, "And I have a sniper."

"Confidant, then?" All for One asked, raising a hand.

"Oh not at all!" the Rider chirped before he held his own hand out and a book materialized. "But I'm also not a coward! Come at me with your worst!"

"Very well," the black-clad villain raised a hand before he withdrew it quickly, another arrow, this one black instead of gold, imbedding itself into his arm. Despite getting hit, All for One seemed distracted as he looked up at the sky.

"So he's come after all."

Like a rocket, All Might crashed down onto them, locking hands with the villain.

"I'll have you return my students! All for One!" he roared.

"Have you come to kill me a second time, All Might?" the villain sneered in return before the pressure between the two caused an explosion of dust outwards. Astolfo and Gray were knocked off of their feet, as were Bakugou and the other villains.

"It took you long enough to find us," the villain said, "It's only five kilometers from the bar to here, and yet at least it was thirty seconds. You're getting sof—"

He was cut off as more arrows flew over All Might's crouched form and embedded themselves in his arms.

"You're one to talk," All Might retort, not at all startled by Chiron's sniping. Astolfo wasn't sure where the Archer was, he couldn't sense him, but for all he knew, the centaur was still at the bar sniping from there.

"Kinda hard to ignore that fancy life support mask you've got on."

Okay, cool, All Might wasn't above petty insults. Astolfo had to grin a bit at that.

His eyes scanned the area for Bakugou as All Might lunged for All for One. The villain matched his punches, blocking each of them before he blasted the Hero away with a flick of the wrist.

"Well damn," Astolfo uttered as Gray gripped onto Add. "This is gonna be a lot harder than I thought.."

"You're telling me…" the Assassin uttered. "We need to get Bakugou."

He nodded before yelping as Kurogiri seemed to explode, the black-mist extending outwards before settling in one area. Astolfo spotted Bakugou not too far away, but he also noticed Spinner closing in on the boy. Astolfo slammed his hand down onto the ground, summoning Hippogriff to him and leaping on.

The beast shot towards the two as Gray transformed Add into his rocket-propelled hammer form and slammed it into the ground, launching herself after him.

"Bakugou!" the Rider yelled, holding his hand out and the blonde turned, grinning before he blasted the ground. He rocketed up towards him and grasped onto his hand. Astolfo pulled him up onto Hippogriff as Gray clashed with Spinner. A tuft of green hair made him glance over his shoulder as Hippogriff circled above. Golden arrows shot through the dust and smoke, stopping Magne from getting close to them.

"Hang on!" He called over his shoulder before cracking the reins and Hippogriff rose above the dust cloud. He felt Bakugou's arms around his waist tighten as the beast climbed higher and higher into the sky. He gazed around before he saw them, Midoriya, Iida, Kirishima, Todoroki, and Yaoyorozu. A flash of light made him grin, seeing the black-haired girl holding a mirror up to signal to him.

Kirishima was on Iida and Midoriya's shoulders.

Those kids were going to jump up to him? He could work with that.

"Bakugou!" he called over the roar of the wind, "Let go of my waist and hold your hand out! You're getting picked up!"

"The hell do you mean!?" Bakugou asked, but slowly did as told. A flash of blue, green, and red made the blonde's eyes widen before he chuckled lowly.

"COME ON!" Kirishima yelled, holding his hand out. Bakugou grabbed his hand and Kirishima activated his quirk, the two's hands locked together.

"Get outta here, you crazy kids!" Astolfo yelled as the four shot over the battlefield.

"Good Luck, Astolfo!" Midoriya called over his shoulder as the Rider cracked the reins.

"Don't let them get away!" he heard Compress yell.

"Grab onto each other!" Magne ordered before activating her quirk. Compress was shot into the sky towards Astolfo, who blocked his path before Mt. Lady shot up, blocking the magician-like villain from hitting Astolfo.

"Lady!" he cried, taking in her battered appearance as she staggered. Blood dripped from her nose as she tipped forwards.

"The rescue—" she gasped, "Is top priority! Make sure those dumb kids get out—"

He nodded before he cracked the reins again and Hippogriff dove. He grimaced, hearing the woman collapse behind him.

A flash of yellow made Astolfo grin as he and Gran Torino took out Spinner and Magne.

"You're late!" All Might huffed as the aged hero landed on Hippogriff and the beast circled above them.

Gray ran over, wiping a cut on her face as Gran Torino took off again, landing by All Might.

"You're just too fast, Hotshot," the man snapped. "I don't see Archer, you bastards kill him or somethin'?"

"Not the time for that joke, Mister Torino!" Gray said as arrows whizzed past them. All for One brought his hand up again and metal chunks blocked them.

Astolfo whistled and Gray looked up at him. She nodded, seeing him look to the side, before she turned, sprinting towards Shigaraki, who was pushing Toga and Twice's prone forms through Kurogiri's warpgate. Gran Torino shot off after her, aiming a strike at Shigaraki before Magne's quirk was activated suddenly.

Astolfo turned towards All for One, noticing the strange red and black appendages from his fingers that were digging into Magne's knocked out body.

The villains flew towards the gate, all being drawn towards Toga, who looked less than happy even in her paralyzed state before they were thrown in. All for One tossed Magne after them, who crashed into Kurogiri and they vanished. An arrow flew past the spot not even a second later.

"Dammit! Not again!" Astolfo cried before he ran a hand through his hair. Gray shifted her footing before she yelped and vanished into black liquid again. Astolfo gazed around wildly before he spotted an explosion of liquid right in All Might's path. There wasn't enough time for the man to stop his attack, but Gray brought her arms up quickly to protect her face.

The block lessened the blow, but just barely, and Astolfo heard a painful crack.

"I'm sorry—!" All Might gasped as he pulled his arm back.

"I'm fine!" Gray bit out before a yellow blur shot past. The Assassin was dragged out of the way of a barrage of arrows by Gran Torino as Astolfo raised his lance. All Might reared his fist back again as Hippogriff shot past All for One. He slashed at the man's legs before he pulled up and out of the way of the Symbol of Peace.

**"Detroit SMASH!"**

He landed by Gray and Gran Torino, grimacing as the dust kicked up started to settle.

"His limit's up," He uttered as All Might stood over All for One, fist planted in his face. The Villain didn't seem the least disturbed, instead, firing a blast that sent the man flying up to one of the media helicopters. Astolfo went to crack Hippogriff's reins as Gran Torino leaped up to grab the blonde. Before he could reach All Might, a golden blur made them all startle. Chiron grabbed All Might out of the air, landing in front of them. Gran Torino landed next to them, grimacing a bit.

"Chiron!" Astolfo cried, feeling relief wash over him. Sure he had been sniping from wherever he had been, but it was different when he was on the battlefield himself. Whenever Chiron was on the battlefield himself, Astolfo could feel more at ease.

"Sorry I'm late," the Archer said, brushing his hair out of his face as he glanced back from steadying All Might. "I had to pick up a friend."

Astolfo's eyes widened as he turned and behind them, a woman stood on top of the rubble. He recognized her face as her pink-blonde hair swaying in the wind.

"Saber!" Gray gasped and the duel wielding swordmaster just grinned.

"I came to join the party," she said, sliding down the rocks to meet the two. She held something out to Astolfo. "Chiron said you knew how to use this," she said and Astolfo's eyes widened, seeing Achilles' shield. He took it carefully before he nodded.

"Yeah..." he said before a noise made him look past Musashi. A woman, struggling to climb out of the rubble.

"Dodge, then counter!" He heard Gran Torino yell as All for One charged up a blast.

"Not everyone is that fast!" the villain sneered and Astolfo saw All Might freeze where he was. Gran Torino had leaped out of the way, Chiron had as well and Musashi had grabbed Gray and taken off to the side.

Astolfo locked eyes with Chiron and the man nodded. Astolfo gripped the shield.

Faster than the blast was moving, Astolfo vaulted off of Hippogriff. He gripped the shield before he swung his arm out, throwing it.

"I won't let you hurt her or my friends!" He roared as the shield glowed. **_"Akhilleus Kosmos: The Miniature World Enclosed by the Azure Sky!"_**

In a flash of green light, a world burst from the shield, the terrain changing and building upwards in a likeness of a greek battlefield and colosseum. The blast from All for One was contained before exploding outwards and throwing Astolfo to the sky. The phantasm had done its duty though as the created world vanished, damage minimal.

Astolfo smiled, feeling his consciousness fade.

 _'I leave the rest… to you all…'_ he thought before he hit the ground and his vision blacked out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I told you she'd be back. Also yeah, Astolfo wasn't used to his full extent— again— but I couldn't figure out where to use or how to use Casseur de Logistille in this fight. Before I get yelled at, remember Astolfo was already damaged from the blast that took out Jeanist, he's not 100% like Chiron, Musashi, and Gray are.


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The final legs of the journey are coming to a close... The social distancing/quarantine/lockdown has me speed writing everything and editing real fast, so this chapter and the next are all edited and ready for upload. I'm not sure who's still following this fanfiction, but remember to stay safe! Wash your hands! For anyone who is also reading Breath of the Void, that's coming out today as well.

As soon as the Rider had hit the ground, Gran Torino had zipped him to where Gang Orca was collapsed. With any luck, the prone heroes would be kept out of the fight. In the same instance, Gray and Musashi were working on rescuing the woman.

"Hmph," All for One schooled his shock before he readied another blast. Musashi pulled the woman onto her back before leaping up and out of the way, Gray following closely as a second blast was released.

Chiron and All Might dodged, the Archer releasing another rain of arrows— most of which were bat away with a flick of the man's wrist, but some managed to pierce his defenses. All Might, despite his weakened and half transformed state, rushed at the Villain, throwing another super-powered punch that was blocked. All for One tossed All Might aside before raising a hand to blast Chiron. He only ended up getting shot again before the Villain had to turn his attention elsewhere to block arrows from Gray. Musashi grabbed Gray as she ran past, a blast of red-edged black lightning striking the spot where she had been a moment after. Gran Torino rocketed past the two, striking All for One in the face before bouncing off and landing by Chiron. The aged hero continued his assault before the villain smacked him away, effectively ridding himself of the arrows that were headed his way as well.

"A valiant effort," the man said, arms swelling before he snapped his fingers. Gray yelped as metal wrapped around her leg, keeping her in place. In the split second it took for her to look at what was keeping her stuck the villain had already fired a blast at her. Both Musashi and Chiron lunged to intercept the blast but All Might was quicker, rebuffing it with one of his punches and kicking up a cloud of dust and wind. Gran Torino leaped forwards, catching Musashi— who had been the closest— as she flew back. Chiron landed on his side before rolling onto his feet, wincing before he gasped softly when the dust started to settle.

All Might stood there, fist raised but in his true form. Gray had been thrown to the ground behind him from the blast, but was otherwise unharmed.

Her eyes were wide as she gazed up at All Might, though.

"Mister All Might—"

"Are you unharmed, Young Gray?" he asked, spitting blood onto the ground with a painful-sounding cough. She nodded, gripping Add tightly as the metal let go of her. "Yes— but why— I- I—"

"Because," the man said, clenching his fist tightly and his blue eyes burned like flames. "I'm a hero."

"How utterly regretful," All for One sighed, though there wasn't an ounce of regret in his words as he flicked his hand, using metal sheets from the rubble underfoot to block Chiron's arrows.

"But it was only inevitable, I was planning on revealing all of your lies that were built up either way," the villain continued, "Those hollow cheeks! Those sunken eyes! A pitiful excuse of a hero, if I've ever seen one!"

He stretched his arms out before startling a bit as Musashi started to laugh. The woman's grin was more of a snarl as she rushed the villain. Her blades clashed with arms wrapped in metal before she was forced back.

"If sunken eyes and hollow cheeks mean you can't be anything great then you're nothing, you faceless potato fuck!" she snarled. "He lives and breathes, does he not? To have weakness and not be who people assume is what makes a hero!"

Her voice was clear and strong, ringing out into the night as she spoke.

"A woman whose body failed her yet she cried out and begged to return to the battlefield so she could fight along side of her comrades!" she continued as she landed, though if the villain was listening or not was a mystery as he blocked and dodged a barrage of Chiron's arrows again. "A man who stood upon a bridge unwavering even as he was shot full of arrows! A king who stood before the Queen of Monsters without wavering even as his body turned to stone! A knight whose arm was lost and yet he reached the gates of Avalon! It's not the body that creates the hero, but the spirit!"

"If it's the spirit that makes the hero, then I'll crush that as well," All for One snarled, blocking another strike from the Saber before he was forced to leap away from Gray bringing her scythe down on him. Gran Torino rocketed past, nailing the villain in the face before he took off again. In the same instance, Musashi and Gray both ducked and the villain had to quickly dodge both arrows from one side and the sudden appearance of the two-handed greatsword as it swung for his head.

"You're right, Miss Musashi," All Might grunted as he shifted the sword in his hand before it vanished. "Though the body may rot and wither away, the spirit still stands firm!"

The man clenched his fist again as Gray and Musashi landed next to him, All for One having backed up and pulling arrows from his arms.

"I am still the Symbol of Peace, even as I am now," he declared, "Nothing can take that away from me."

"Is that so?" All for One asked, seeming to raise a brow as he held his arms out to his sides. "Then… what about this? Shigaraki Tomura is Nana Shimura's grandson."

All Might instantly stopped, freezing up and gazing at the villain in shock. "You're lying," he grit out after a long moment and Gray glanced to Musashi in confusion. The Saber just shrugged.

"I was wondering how long I would wait to tell you this," All for One said, "And when would be the right time in order to disturb you the most."

"You're lying!" All Might roared before the black-clad man pushed his thumbs up against his cheeks.

"Where's that smile now, All Might?" he asked, tone mocking.

"You… You scum!" he cried, anguish rolling off of him in waves. Musashi grimaced, glancing around for Gran Torino before a flash of pink made her look up.

"All… Might…" Astolfo's voice cut through the night and all eyes turned to the boy who had clawed himself up onto the rubble. The Rider's exhaustion was evident as he leaned on his lance, but held his fist up. His body battered and bruised. "You can't loose… not with… S.. Saber- with Siegfried... with you…" He managed, arm falling back to his side as he tipped backward. "You have to win…"

Threads pulled tight and held Astolfo suspended for a moment, slowing his fall before he hit the ground. Not far from them, Best Jeanist's hands twitched. Chiron knelt over the man, a hand pressed against the gaping hole in his stomach.

"Can… you hear them…. All… M… Might…." the Fiber hero wheezed, blood soaking his high collar where his mouth was. "The... people out there… wa… watching… praying…" His head lolled back as his consciousness left him again. Chiron grimaced before he stood, lifting the man and moving him to a safer spot. All for One gazed down at them all from where he had risen up into the air.

"You're right…" All Might uttered, clenching his fist as power rushed through him. "Astolfo, Tsunagu, I'm sorry for faltering. Miss Musashi and Young Gray… and Gran Torino and Chiron, as well, forgive me. There is so much that us Heroes still have to protect, so that's why… we won't lose."

"Tch…" the villain raised his arm, "Wounded heroes are the most terrifying of all."

"If you think that's the case then you're gonna hate us!" Musashi yelled as she readied her swords. Her eyes widened as a blast of flame raced towards the black-clad villain. He dissipated it with a swing of his hand, but that was all the time they needed as Gray leaped back. Add transformed back into a bow and both she and Chiron let loose arrows. Most were also knocked away, but a number pierced through his defenses again.

"WHAT THE HELL IS WITH THAT WEAK LOOKING FORM OF YOURS!" A voice roared as Endeavor and Edgeshot arrived on the scene.

"AND YOU," the flaming hero thrust a finger in Chiron's direction. "THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE QUICK, HOW MUCH LONGER ARE YOU PLANNING ON STALLING?! YOU'RE LETTING THAT GIRL DO TOO MUCH!" Gray 'eep'd as a finger was pointed in her direction. "YOU PLAN ON GETTING HER INJURED LIKE THAT PINK BRAT?"

His gaze landed on Musashi. "I don't know you."

"You can still yell at me if you want," she said, "I'm not going to step on your style."

"Save the lecturing for later," Edgeshot uttered and Chiron sighed, but his lips twitched upwards in amusement.

All for One seemed a bit put off at the bickering on the battlefield but turned the attention back to him with an interested hum.

"Even though they weren't that strong, for you to have dispatched the Nomu I sent so quickly. As expected of the man who rose to be the Number Two Hero," All for One said.

The Flame Hero only glared, gritting his teeth. "Dammit All Might…" he growled, "In order to surpass you I worked myself to the bone, only to realize how much of a gap there was between us… the stronger you got, the angrier I got… SO STAND UP AND SHOW THEM WHY YOU'RE BETTER! YOU WERE GRANTED THE SAME GIFT AS ME FROM THE SAGE!"

"If the only reason you're here is to cheer him on," All for One sneered as he raised his hand again, red-edged, black lighting sparking at his fingertips. "I'd prefer if you remained silent!"

"Think again, you savage!" Edgeshot said, leaping up and attacking in a burst of speed. "We've arrived to assist!"

From the edges of the rubble came Kamui Woods, wrapping his limbs around Gang Orca, Mt. Lady, and Best Jeanist as he leaped from the fight. "Because that's our job as heroes!"

"Everyone!" Gray gasped softly as Tiger burst from the rubble, holding Ragdoll close to his chest. The man scooped Astolfo up as well.

"If we can just help a little, then we have fulfilled our duty," he said.

"If you guys are rescuin' that means we can get to the fun part!" Musashi said before she leaped up, swords flashing as she joined Edgeshot and Edeavor's assault— Gran Torino not too far behind.

She slashed at his head before she landed, pivoting and leaping back up. Gran Torino slammed into All for One, though it was blocked by his hand and the aged hero was tossed back. She swung at him, though missed as the villain simply leaned back and out of her way. Edgeshot passed her, aiming for the villain with a kick, but he too was dodged. She landed by him, reaching back and pulling one of her other swords out of its secured spot and tossed it to him. He caught it without a word before she took off again.

She slashed at All for One as Edgeshot attacked from the opposite side and the Saber readied her sword to slash at him again. The hero landed on her sword as he was dodged and she grinned, locking eyes with him before she swung her sword. The ninja flew through the air, drawing the blade that the Saber had tossed to him and slashing at the villain's face. Blood splattered the blade and though the cut was shallow, it was still a cut. Both of them landed before Endeavor blasted the man with flames.

All for One countered the flames as he reached up, wiping the blood from his cheek and looking down at it. Without a word, he held his hand out and blasted the ground, sending her, Edgeshot, Gran Torino, and Endeavor flying back. Gray caught Edgeshot by the scarf, digging Add into the ground so she didn't get blasted and Musashi felt Edgeshot wrap around her wrist. A flash of gold made Musashi squint in the direction of Chiron as the Archer managed to keep Endeavor from flying back into a mess of metal piping and concrete slab mesh. She didn't know where Gran Torino was as the dust and smoke cleared.

All Might stood alone as All for One taunted him, one of his arms having transformed into a grotesque fusion of muscle, flesh, and metal.

Edgeshot released her as Gray let go of him, the Assassin panting as she drew Add from the ground.

"He's layered Quirks on top of one another…?" Gray murmured and Musashi and Edgeshot exchanged a glance.

That didn't sound good at all.

Chiron galloped over to them as Endeavor moved to higher ground. All Might and All for One clashed again.

"Edgeshot!" Chiron called, skidding to a halt next to them. "You and Gran Torino need to leave immediately!"

"What!?" Edgeshot asked but stopped as Chiron pointed to the black colored lance that Endeavor had, his flaming beard and mustache subsiding as the normally hotheaded man stood still.

"All Might is out of energy," he said, glancing back to the fight between One for All and All Might. "It's time for us with Noble Phantasms to step up. Endeavor was right, I stalled for far too long. I should have ended this as soon as I sensed Astolfo's signature get weaker. I don't want either of you to get in the middle of this."

The ninja-like hero still seemed conflicted, but nodded. He handed Musashi her sword back before taking off. Gray glanced up to the centaur as she picked her other swords up.

"Gray," he said, "I'm entrusting the most powerful blow to you. We'll give you as much time as you need."

The Assassin seemed hesitant but nodded slowly.

"I will use the aftermath to fire my own," he added. "And I won't miss."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Musashi references Okita and Benki from actual history ("actual") and then Leonidas and Bedivere from the Grand Order. This is the Musashi from Epic of Remnant, but since EoR and Lostbelt Musashi might be different people (let's just say they are for this canon), our Musashi wouldn't know about Ivan or any of the other sacrifices of Lostbelt Servants.
> 
> Also I really wanted someone to call AfO a potato fuck. It was gonna be Astolfo but then that happened and you know. someone had to do it. I wanted All Might's true form to be revealed so before anyone asks why Gray didn't just enter spirit form when she was trapped just remember, the blast was very fast. By the time she had looked to see what had grabbed her it was already on its way. Could Gray have withstood it? Yes. Probably. Did All Might want to take that chance? no.
> 
> Also rip Best Jeaist. You will be missed.


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, thank you all for your input on All For One's fate (haha) that leads up to this chapter. I did think about what to do about him for a while and ended up deciding on this outcome. The main reason I chose death over imprisonment was that it just... didn't sit right with me. Chiron is a teacher first, a hero second, but that means that he'd lay down his life for his own students. Not to mention, his entire reasoning for being in Japan was to find and put down the "Greater Evil" of that time— it was up to him how he did it. All for One evaded death more than once via his Quirk. And there's always the possibility of a breakout. Chiron would rather be safe than sorry. Also, All for One just kidnapped two of his students, injured another, and has been messing with the wrong Horseman for too long. Its time to die.

Enji Todoroki wasn't one to like being ordered around. He liked to be the boss of his own self, thank you very much, but he wasn't stupid either.

He knew that the black-clad villain before them all was not someone to be taken lightly. That was further drilled into his head as he gazed at All Might's weakened form, still fighting and giving his all in this battle. It was further solidified as the villain dodged Edgeshot and that woman effortlessly, despite their speed.

Enji wasn't stupid. And Chiron had given him an order. He had given him an order, one that he swallowed his pride for and followed, moving to higher ground.

Chiron was smart, he was skilled, and he had ages of experience. Enji wasn't stupid and he knew that in order to win he had to play the part of a rook or knight instead of the king. So he did, canceled the excess flames that covered his body, holding the lance of Karna in his hand as he focused on rerouting the energy normally used for his Quirk into his Magic Circuits.

Edgeshot and Gran Torino had taken off at Chiron's order not too long ago and that left only those in possession of Noble Phantasms in the area.

Chiron had scaled to higher ground as well as the blonde woman took off towards another direction. The girl staid where she was, gripping her scythe.

"All Might!" the Archer yelled and the blonde leaped out of the combat with the Villain. Enji felt his circuits spark before his body moved on its own. He raised the lance above his hand, watching with a strange sense of calm as a circle with an asterisk-like star formed out of flames behind him and a symbol akin to an eye in front of him.

Words bubbled up from his throat that he didn't realize he knew.

 ** _"On the battlefield, there is no more weakness,"_** he murmured, **_"My father. I ask for your forgiveness. For the first and last time."_**

 ** _"Awaken from a golden dream,"_** he heard All Might, despite the man's form being quite far from him. The sword of Siegfried in his hand and raised high.

A column of blue energy exploded from the blade and reached the sky. _**"Be released from your cradle. The Evil Dragon shall fall and the world will reach its sunset. I bring you down—"**_

He thrust the lance forwards and a blast of flame that felt hotter than his own exploded from the tip. _**"End everything, VASAVI SHAKTI!"**_

_**"BALMUNG!"** _

Both flames and blue energy crashed onto All for One as the number one and two heroes poured their reserves into their attacks. Enji felt like his blood was on fire as he lowered his lance and All Might's energy dissipated.

The flames subsided and the Flame hero's eyes widened as he saw the black-clad villain still standing. He was burnt to hell and back and bleeding in certain places, but he was still alive and conscious.

"Thanks for buying time!" the woman (Musashi was her name, he thinks) yelled as she leaped from her spot, swords drawn. A large Nio appeared behind her with a loud rumble, lips drawn back in a permanent snarl as it raised the four swords in its hands.

_**"Namu. I place my trust in Tenjin of the Tenman Shrine, the deity of absolute freedom. Hadoukannon, use my rage to sever evil!"** _

The four massive swords the Nio wielded were swung down, following her movements as she slashed the air with her own swords. Each of the large blades was met with a mass of metal or a blast of energy before the phantasmal being vanished. A violet light burst from the woman before condensing into a pillar around the sword she held in her hands.

 _ **"This one blade is my path of emptiness, the culmination of my life! Ishana Daitenshou!"**_ she cried before she swung her blade down. All for One held firm, though he seemed to be struggling finally as the woman increased the pressure on her blade.

"GRAY!" Enji heard Chiron call over the noise and he spared a glance towards the girl.

Her eyes were closed and figures made up of golden light were swirling around her as she gripped her scythe.

 ** _"This is a battle that will harm no Elemental,"_** voices reverberated over the noise, seeming to both come from here and from nowhere.

**_"Approved."_ **

**_"This is a battle against an enemy mightier than oneself."_ **

**_"Approved."_ **

**_"This is a battle to live."_ **

**_"Approved."_ **

**_"This is a battle that does not stand against humanity."_ **

**_"Approved."_ **

**_"This is a battle for truth."_ **

**_"Approved."_ **

**_"3rd State restraint rescinded,"_** A mechanical voice said and her scythe glowed.

The girl spoke and her voice was soft but carried the authority of a king. **_"Grave for you…"_**

She raised the scythe above her head, the glow becoming blinding as she continued. Musashi grimaced and forced her Noble Phantasm to stay activated as she pushed her blade farther down.

 ** _"Old mystics, exterminate sweet mysteries. All will return to the void!"_** Gray continued, a golden pillar of light and energy piercing the sky and swirling around her. All for One broke free of Musashi's phantasm, sending her flying back before rounding on Gray, his hand raised.

**_"Sacred lance, releasing restraints!"_ **

She lowered her hand, pointing it directly up at the villain as lightning crackled in his hand.

**_"RHONGOMYNIAD!"_ **

With a cry, Gray released her Phantasm. Red-black lightning was released from the Villain's palm in an attempt to combat it, but it was in vain as the villain was hit at an almost point-blank range. Light exploded in the night and the Flame Hero had to shield his eyes as the ground rumbled and the clouds were all but blasted out of the sky.

When the light faded and Enji and the others could look back at the villain, the Flame hero found himself at a loss for words. All for One lay on the ground, smoke rising off of his battered and burned body.

Slowly, All Might, Chiron, and Gray approached as Musashi gazed out over the destruction. Enji made his way down to them as well, hesitating before clapping a hand on All Might— no, Yagi's shoulder. Yagi gave him the barest of smiles in return, blood still dripping slowly from his cuts.

"Stand back," Chiron uttered, startling them before the sky lit up. He gazed up, seeing stars begin to brighten and an outline of a constellation appear.

"Chiron—" Toshinori started coughing into his fist but the Archer shook his head, giving him a gentle smile in return.

"Even if I become a villain," The Archer said softly as he stood back up, the glow fading. "I have to." The brown-haired man turned, giving both heroes a small smile. "You both did well, I couldn't be more proud of two of my, while most stubborn, best students."

In a blinding flash, and with speed that definitely broke the sound barrier, a shot from the stars crashed to earth.

Enji noticed that, while Gray averted her eyes, Musashi and Yagi did not— choosing instead to watch as Chiron mercilessly killed a downed man.

Well. Enji didn't really care about that last part— downed or not, the guy was an evil bastard.

"I suppose…" Musashi said after the light faded. "That's it."

"Can't thank you all enough," Yagi grunted, as Balmung vanished from his hands. Enji glanced down to the spear still clenched in his own before he stepped over to Chiron.

"I'm returning this," he grunted, making the Archer tilt his head as sirens sounded overhead, the emergency responders and media teams starting to slowly arrive.

"Are you sure?" Chiron asked, "You could become the strongest in the world."

Enji scoffed, just shoving the black and gold lance into the centaur's hands.

"Take the damn thing," he said, "You know the laws."

The Archer just smiled. "Yes, I do. Well, if you ever need it, you can call it back to you."

"Whatever, old man," the Flame hero grunted before walking off to go deal with the media. Musashi rolled her eyes at his antics as Chiron vanished the lance, humming a bit.

"Hey, Chiron," Toshinori coughed, glancing over. "You won't be facing repercussions, will you? I mean, you just killed a man."

He blinked, humming again as he gazed up at the lightening sky. "I could, but the Mages' Association got most governments to place me on a type of Scott-Free list for cases like these. I'll have to go in for questioning and the Media will want to know everything, but…" he shrugged. "I'll deal with it."

"Chiron…" Gray said softly and both he and Yagi turned. Chiron's eyes widened as the sun crested over the destroyed skyline. Golden flecks danced in the morning light as Gray gave him a small, but sad smile.

"Young Gray…" Yagi murmured as the Assassin bowed to them, her form already starting to glow as more flecks drifted into the sky.

The girl stood back up, giving him a smile. "Please give Astolfo and Class 1-A my regards, Yagi- no, All Might. And Aizawa-sensei too— a-and the rest of the staff…" she swallowed, voice wavering as Add glanced up at her.

"It… It was fun…" she said softly, tears starting to well up in her eyes. "I had a lot of fun… so thank you…"

She reached up, wiping her eyes before she gave him, Chiron, and Musashi a bright smile.

"Thank you for everything."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yikes. Big sad moment. Before anyone gets on me for not making the Phantasms powerful enough, remember All for One is tough. I'm trying to balance out everything. Servants are already more powerful than Heroes without a doubt. Not to mention, Enji and Toshinori are humans using Noble Phantasms. There are certain limits that they can do with their own abilities.
> 
> How do you feel about someone becoming a master? Asking for a friend.


	28. Chapter 28 [Finale]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gang gang, college is canceled forever and we're all gonna die.

_"Thank you for everything."_

Gray was vanishing. Just as she had predicted she would when the Grail deemed her job was done. Without mana to keep her form, she would have only had a few days to stick around, but with the blast from **_Rhongomyniad_** , it seemed like that time was even less.

Mere seconds.

Toshinori felt his heart twist as he gazed at the girl's expression.

It was, for lack of a better word, pained.

She didn't want to go.

He knew that look and he glanced to his hands, feeling a prick of pain on the back of his right hand.

A glimmer of red in his mind.

The laws barred any hero from becoming a magus, and vice versa, right? Save for life or death situations, Chiron had told him and Enji.

But he no longer had One for All. His body was no longer fit for hero work.

And Chiron had told him that his circuits and mana levels were abnormally high for someone who wasn't from a line of mages— that he knew of.

So... it should be fine, right?

"Gray—" Chiron started as Toshinori made his mind up. The centaur made a move to step towards the vanishing girl before Yagi held a hand out in front of him. The centaur looked at him with a mix of disbelief and sadness before he stepped forward instead.

Though his right arm had been shattered by All for One, he raised it and a web of electric blue-green lines lit up on his skin. The light subsided and condensed on the back of his hand, fading from that green-blue color to a deep, blood red.

"Gray," the once hero said, holding his hand out to her. She startled, eyes widening as they landed on the three sigils on the back of his hand.

"There's still much in this world that you want to do right?" he asked, "I might not be any sort of seasoned Mage, and I'm all but retired from heroics now, so it should be fine…"

Blue eyes met green as he gazed at her.

"If I let you return to the Throne now, how could I ever bear the name of a hero or teacher?" He started, voice soft but determined. "Your eyes tell me that you want to live. Young Gray, tell me… am I worthy of forging a Contract with you? Will you take this hand of mine and forge a Contract with me?"

The Assassin seemed at a loss for words before Add spoke up.

 ** _"It's time for you to make a choice out of selfishness, kid,"_** the Mystic Code said, **_"Take his hand."_**

"B-but—" the girl swallowed, hesitant. "I- I—"

 _ **"Just take the damn thing!"**_ the code shouted and the girl squeaked.

"O-Okay—! D-Don't yell—!" she said, reaching out and grasping Toshinori's hand tightly. She let out a breath before she gazed up at him.

"I accept your offer, Mister— no, Master. I'll forge a Contract with you."

He chuckled softly as Add let out a satisfied huff and the Command Seals on the back of his hand glowed. Gray let go of his hand before she knelt, one hand over her chest.

 _"Thy body shall be under my command, my fate shall be determined by thy sword. Follow the call of the Holy Grail,"_ He found himself chanting as a golden glow shone from the seals and settled around them. _"If thou wouldst obey this mind and reason, then answer my call."_

 _"I shall accept your oath under the name of Assassin,"_ Gray responded, her eyes shining with a determined glint as she spoke. _"Now you are my Lord, and I am your Servant!"_

In a flash that startled media officials, emergency responders, and heroes alike, the contract was sealed. Gray returned to a more corporeal form as she stood and the light faded.

She flexed her hand before she smiled. "For someone who never practiced magic until recently, you have very strong circuits."

"That's what I said," Chiron said with a chuckle before he walked over, patting both of them.

"Yagi," the Archer turned to him and he blinked. "Thank you."

Toshinori smiled. "Of course," he said, "It's the least I could do, after all. Ah, you told me before that there was a Master once whose body couldn't sustain the use of his Servant's Noble Phantasm, right? I hope I don't hinder you in any way, Young Gray."

Gray blinked before she glanced at her hands. "No, I think I'll be alright," she said, "As soon as I rest, I can also support my Phantasm with my own mana as well. We'll just have to see."

"I hate to break this up," Musashi said as she walked over to join them as well, her hands on her hips with a slight grin. "But the press and medical guys are wanting to talk to the big guy and clean up the potato." The three of them looked at her before Gray smiled a bit, hiding a laugh behind her hand.

"I should tell you to respect the dead more," Chiron said with a chuckle, "But I suppose I can let this one slide." Musashi only grinned again, the three walking off as Toshinori spared the corpse of All for One a last glance.

It felt surreal. He knew that Chiron's method went against everything a hero was supposed to be. But he also knew that the Archer wasn't bound to the same laws that the heroes were— yes he was a Hero with a license, but he was a being who would outlive and outlast all of them in the end.

He gazed back at the three Servants who had been joined by Edgeshot and Gran Torino, Endeavor seeming to hover on the edge of their line of sight as he watched the media. The Flame Hero was oddly… well, protective wasn't the word, but it was close enough. He wasn't letting the media get close at all, all the reporters shrinking back as he glared at them. The threats to melt cameras probably didn't help.

Blue eyes met two sets of green as Chiron and Gray glanced back to him. He blinked before Gray walked back over, taking his hand.

"Let's go back to the others, Master."

"Please," Toshinori said with a chuckle, coughing into his other hand with a shake of his head. "Just call me Toshinori."

His life would go on, it seemed. He smiled as he let the Assassin Class Servant pull him towards the others. Gran Torino looked relieved, giving him the smallest of nods as Musashi slung an arm around Edgeshot, much to the other hero's chagrin.

Toshinori gazed up at the sky again, silent as he watched the early morning clouds creep back into the sky.

He would have to give Midoriya a strong scolding when he saw him again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [End of Sagittarius, look forward towards Grave Keeper, the second book in the series, and Paladin, a compilation of various one-shots within the series]
> 
> Thank you all so, so, so much for sticking around for this long! Did you all like it? I hope so! As said above, there will be two more stories uploaded here eventually. Paladin is up and Grave Keeper is coming. Paladin isn't solely focused on Astolfo (obviously) but Gray Keeper will have a lot of Gray-centric parts. This one will go up to the end of the Shie Hassaikai arc. I don't plan on doing the Villain arc (there's literally no reason since none of the Servants would be there), nor do I plan on doing the Endeavor agency arc. BTW, those two were both manga arcs, so if you haven't read the manga yet... spoilers.
> 
> Anyways, yeah. Plus Ultra and all that jazz.
> 
> Thank you all again. Love you all.


End file.
